A former Minister of Interior, Professor Bola Akinyemi, has said that Nigeria should not have accepted the partner membership granted to it by the multinational bloc, BRICS.
Akinyemi made this statement on Politics Today, a programme
on Channels Television, on Monday.
He argued that Nigeria should have been an original member
of the group or granted full membership during its expansion, rather than being
designated a partner country.
The professor of political science said that offering
Nigeria partner status instead of full membership by BRICS is a slap in the
face of Nigerians.
“I am not happy. Can you tell me the difference between a
partner country and a member, given our GDP in Africa compared to Ethiopia or
even South Africa? Is it a partner country that befits us? No.
“We should have been part of the original members of BRICS.
I have said this on several platforms. I don’t know why we were never an
original member; I don’t know why we were not invited to join as a full member
when they were expanding it.
“I think it is a slap in our face, and we should never have
accepted this partner member if that is what they call it,” Akinyemi said.
DAILY POST reports that BRICS is an intergovernmental
organisation consisting of 10 countries—Brazil, Russia, India, China, South
Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.
Recall that on Friday, Brazil announced the formal admission
of Nigeria as a partner country of BRICS.
According to a statement by Brazil’s Foreign Ministry, BRICS
and Nigeria share common interests, as both actively strive to enhance
cooperation among Global South countries and advocate for the reform of
international organisations.
“With the world’s sixth-largest population—and Africa’s
largest—as well as being one of the continent’s major economies, Nigeria shares
convergent interests with other members of BRICS.
“It plays an active role in strengthening South-South
cooperation and in reforming global governance—issues that are top priorities
during Brazil’s current presidency,” the statement said.
It was gathered that Brazil currently holds the BRICS
presidency for 2025, having taken over from Russia on January 1.
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