Foremost Professor of Political Science, Bolaji Akinyemi, says South Africa is determined to derail Nigeria’s international ranking with “negative competition”.
Prof Akinyemi, also a former Director General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.
He said Nigeria should be a member of BRICS+, a nine-member global economic and political force but for South Africa’s “negative competition”.
“Nigeria should have been BRICS member at the beginning,” the octogenarian said, adding that he discussed the idea with a sitting President who said Nigeria won’t beg to join BRICS. He said the President of Nigeria as of the time of the establishment of the bloc owed Nigerians an explanation as to why the country didn’t make it to the group.
“The reason the second batch of countries invited to join BRICS is because there is negative competition between South Africa and Nigeria, and that one is not the fault of Nigeria.
“In spite of all the things we did for South Africa, South Africa is determined to derail Nigeria wherever she could. Where this whole thing is going, of course, is who will occupy one of the African Permanent Seats in the Security Council of the United Nations.
“Unfortunately, with Nigeria being out of BRICS, BRICS members are going to automatically support South Africa, and that is what South Africa is aiming this whole competition about,” he explained.
The scholar posited that Nigeria should first build a solid foundation for economic development like South Africa which is an “economic giant” in Africa before thinking of BRICS membership.
He said the leaders of the country should turn Nigeria into an industrialised country, and stop exporting raw materials without adding value to them.
South Africa, with about 62.4 million population, and a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $373.23bn, according to data by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is a member of BRICS+ and the G20, while Nigeria with 227 million people and $252.74bn GDP is not a member of both blocs.
BRICS, an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa was created in 2006 as a bloc which brings together the world’s most developing economies to challenge the political and economic power of the wealthier nations of North America and Western Europe.
In January, the bloc, now known as BRICS+, admitted four new members, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. BRICS+ accounts for about 37% of the world’s GDP.
