Nigeria, BRICS and the Quest for a Fairer World By Umar Farouk Bala
In a world steadily shifting toward multipolarity, where power is no longer held by a select few but shaped by collective resolve, Nigeria is beginning to find its rhythm and raise its voice. No longer content with the sidelines, Africa’s most populous nation is stepping forward with purpose.
At the heart of this awakening stands Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, whose deliberate engagements with the BRICS bloc reflect a deeper ambition to recalibrate Nigeria’s place on the global stage. His recent diplomatic mission to Brazil in April 2025 was not a routine visit.
It was a statement. A signal that Nigeria is not just looking to trade goods but to trade ideas, technologies, and strategies with nations that share similar histories and aspirations. Brazil, a founding member of the BRICS family and a nation bound to Nigeria by history, culture, and common colonial echoes, is an obvious partner in this new era of economic diplomacy.
At the Brazil–Nigeria Business Roundtable held in Rio de Janeiro, Ambassador Tuggar spoke with clarity and conviction. He made a passionate case for deepening Nigeria’s partnership with Brazil in areas such as agriculture, aviation, digital innovation, and energy. These are not just buzzwords in policy documents.
They are the pillars upon which Nigeria hopes to build a resilient and inclusive economy. He assured Brazilian investors of Nigeria’s readiness to do business, while emphasizing efforts to de-risk the investment climate.
Tuggar’s message was both bold and realistic: Nigeria is opening up for strategic partnerships that will yield long-term growth, and Brazil is welcome to play a central role. That message did not fall on deaf ears. It drew the attention of influential Brazilian institutions—Petrobras, Embraer, ApexBrasil, and the Brazilian Development Bank, among others.
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Their interest in Nigeria’s growing tech sector, agribusiness potential, and reforms shows that the groundwork for deeper ties is already being laid. Projects like the Green Imperative and the push for enhanced sugar and ethanol trade are early signals of what is to come.
Yet, beyond Brazil, Tuggar’s eyes are also set on something larger. At the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting in Rio, held on April 28, he presented Nigeria not as a hopeful observer, but as a ready partner—prepared to contribute, influence, and lead. His speech reaffirmed Nigeria’s belief in multilateralism, in equity, and in the shared destiny of the Global South.
From the regulation of artificial intelligence to sustainable healthcare systems, and from global peace efforts to trade reform, Tuggar painted Nigeria not as a nation in waiting, but as one with the youth, the talent, and the geographic leverage to make a difference. He also echoed the long-standing call for reform in the global governance architecture, particularly the need to restructure the United Nations Security Council.
That call is not just symbolic. It is a matter of justice, one that resonates across the Global South. This new posture is already bringing real benefits. By nurturing relationships with BRICS countries and Brazil, Nigeria is gaining access to new streams of trade and investment, alternative sources of development finance such as the New Development Bank, and rich opportunities for technological and educational exchanges.
Perhaps most importantly, Nigeria is amplifying its voice. As BRICS becomes a more assertive global bloc, Nigeria’s proactive involvement ensures it will not only be heard but will help shape conversations that affect the continent and the world.
Ambassador Tuggar’s foreign policy style is neither passive nor reactionary. It is deliberate, visionary, and rooted in the belief that Nigeria must not wait for history to be written by others. His diplomacy is grounded in realism, but fueled by a sense of duty—to Nigeria, to Africa, and to the future.
As the dust settles from the Brazilian engagements and the conversations at BRICS deepen, one thing is clear: Nigeria is not begging for relevance. It is claiming its space with dignity and direction. And Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar is helping light the path.
Umar Farouk Bala is a serving NYSC corps member serving at PRNigeria Centre Abuja. He can be reached at: [email protected]
