Daniel Bwala, the Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication to President Bola Tinubu has assured Nigerians that joining the BRICS economic bloc is in Nigeria’s interest.
Bwala’s remark followed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maitama Yusuf Tuggar, announcement on Saturday that Nigeria was accepted as a partner nation to BRICS.
Speaking on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily monitored by New Telegraph, Bwala said Nigeria’s partnership status was an advantage as it would help the country in global politics.
He highlighted the advantage of the country’s partner status, noting that BRICS member states and the bloc would always consider the effects of policies on partner nations.
Barrister Bwala also emphasized that the opinions of partner nations, including Nigeria, would always be considered by the BRICS bloc in decision-making.
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His words: “To have a voting right, you have to be a full member. Just like in corporate governance, you have to be a member of that company, you have to be a shareholder before you have a voting right.
“Now, but what are the decisions that BRICS is likely to make as a bloc that will jeopardize the interests of Nigeria? Remember, BRICS is nascent in the sense that it hasn’t existed long enough to challenge some of the mainstream, like the traditional Western community.
“So, there are no decisions at the moment that the BRICS as a bloc will make, that Nigeria will be jeopardized because of its lack of being a member. But partnership is one of the processes where, for example, we talked about collaboration.
“If a decision is to be made in a specific area that Nigeria thinks it will not be of interest to it, as a partner, you have a right to engage with the member state before they will arrive at that point where they will make a decision.
“So, because BRICS is also interested in the partner members and also wishes that these partner members will join as members, I do not think that BRICS as a bloc will take any decision that will jeopardize the interests of these countries. And in deciding on any issue of interest to the bloc, they will take into cognizance the opinion of the partners. That’s the whole idea.
“It is like telling somebody before you come and join our club, come and attend one of our dinners and see what it feels like to be a part of this club. You come to the dinner, it is the objective of the team or the group to ensure that you are given a very warm reception.
“It is also the objective to ensure that you are treated very, very well so that you will feel the need to be a part of it. And there is nothing that the group will want to do that will jeopardize your interests if their interest is to get you to be a part of it. And no nation will be invited to be a part of the bloc if that nation is not going to add value to it.”
