A former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof Bolaji Akinyemi, has said that not inviting Nigeria to join BRICS sends a strong signal that South Africa is an enemy of Nigeria.
South Africa hosted the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg where six countries were invited to join the economic bloc.
South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, who also Chairs BRICS said the bloc decided to invite six countries – Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to join the group by January 2024.
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Nigeria, the biggest economy in the continent was snubbed.
Although the country was not invited to join BRICS, Vice President Kashim Shettima was at the summit to explore opportunities for the country.
The debate over expanding the bloc which comprises, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, was top of the agenda at the three-day summit.
Akinyemi said on Arise Tv, “What has played out in the summit in South Africa is what some of us had anticipated as far back as 1987. I was a minister at that time. I warned Nigeria that the anti-apartheid struggle was basically over and Nigeria would have to redefine its foreign policy and know that there are going to be competitors. Nigeria didn’t listen to me at that time.
“That was when I proposed the concert of medium powers. You know BRICS is a variation of the concept of medium powers. Nigerians rejected my proposal even though foreign countries that we invited accepted that proposal. If Nigeria had embraced and pursued that policy, we would be the one in fact determining the fate of South Africa. Not South Africa Determining our fate.
“What played out in South Africa, let me call a spade a spade, South Africa has simply shown itself as an enemy of Nigeria that is determined at all cost to checkmate Nigeria wherever it gets the opportunity to do so whether it is the xenophobic attack on our people there. South Africa thinks ahead. It already has its eyes on the election to the Security Council of the United Nations.”
When the VP returned from the summit, he was faced with critic after Nigeria missed the list of the invited countries despite South Africa being the Chair of BRICS.
But Shettima said, “So far, we have not applied for the membership of BRICS. And it is majorly informed by the fact that my principal President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a true democrat that believes in consensus building,” he told Channels Television on the sideline of the BRICS Summit which was held in South Africa.
“There are so many variables that need to be taken into cognizance. We have to evaluate so many tendencies and issues that require engagements with the economic advisory council, the Federal Executive Council, and even the National Assembly before an informed decision towards joining the BRICS would be taken.” he added.
The former Foreign Affairs Minister claimed that South Africa sees Nigeria as a threat and uses every opportunity to checkmate the country.
He said not being invited gives Nigeria the chance to form its bloc that would neither align to the West nor East which the G7 and the BRICS represents respectively.
He said, “Now it (South Africa) has BRICS, it has two of the superpowers on its side and it tends to use that to checkmate Nigeria and yet this is the time we are saying we should be closing down embassies. Our Embassies are badly financed. South Africa continues to open embassies. Continues to provide funds for it. We are the ones who have become our own enemies.
“What has played out in the BRICS invitations, even though is a setback for us, it provides us with an opportunity. The opportunity is that there are more states outside BRICS now than there are in BRICS.”
I defer from your opinion ex minister.
South Africa government does not see Nigeria joining BRICS as being a threat,but rather South Africa looks at the moral standing of the government as not right.
Have in mind there is a election petition tribunal ongoing;
Have in mind overwhelming electorate of Nigerians with evidence voted against this government;
Have in mind the European observers gave their verdict on the election that it is marred by irregularities,etc;
Have in mind South Africa and other Africa countries already talked about the illegitimacy of a government with petition leading Ecowas military against Niger.
With all the above,it is natural and sane to put away anything that will bring shame to the continent as we say we are democratic,we should follow to the latter the tenet
What we see in the country Nigeria are leaders that create diversion from real issues.
So ex minister get your opinion aligned with real issues.
Bassey
Prof.Bolaji has seen the obvious and has been in my own view that Nigeria should see herself as a competitor in African leadership and not seeing South Africa as an enemy. Whether we like it or not, an economic cold war would start brewing between the two countries if we are able to get our acts right with this new administration. We should look forward to form a non aligned natural resources economic block. Dialogue with all the African french speaking countries would do us a good deal together with other non aligned countries having natural resources. We shouldn’t turn ourselves into a beggerly nation without self esteem. Let’s kill corruption and insecurity.
The problem with Nigeria is that it is too much of a Western Puppet. If Nigeria was an individual in a room full of oppressed Black people, it would be labelled a Coconut.
Nigeria lives to please the West at the expense of Africans. For example, Nigeria is being used by France to invade Niger and arm-twist them to remain French poor Slaves. Such a country will pull the objectives of Africans down in the BRICS.