By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
NIGERIA JOINED calls for a comprehensive overhaul of global financial and healthcare systems, with President Bola Tinubu urging equitable reforms during the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro.
Environmental degradation, climate inequalities, and health crises took centre stage at the 17th meeting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) and Emerging Economies bloc, where President Tinubu aligned Nigeria with the call for collective, fair, and inclusive global development.
He emphasised the need for urgent reform that places low-income and developing nations at the core of global decision-making.
“Nigeria associates with what I have heard here today and all that has happened in BRICS. The next issues are financial restructuring and reevaluation of the global structure,” President Tinubu declared.
He warned that environmental and healthcare disparities pose a growing threat to development, particularly across Africa.
Now formally admitted as a BRICS partner country, Nigeria joins eight others in the newly expanded bloc, a move cemented on 17 January 2025 by Brazil’s pro tempore presidency.
Tinubu noted that Nigeria’s alignment with BRICS stems from shared aspirations for justice, fairness, and sustainable development.
“We must be the architects of a future that addresses the specific needs and concerns of youths, who represent 70 per cent of our population in Nigeria,” the President said, urging the bloc to focus on inclusive growth models.
Nigeria’s role, he stressed, is not passive. Tinubu cited bold domestic initiatives ranging from renewable energy adoption to mainstreaming climate resilience and expanding universal health coverage.
“We are taking bold steps to accelerate renewable energy adoption, mainstream climate action, promote nature-based solutions, strengthen urban resilience, champion South-South cooperation, align with the global renewal framework and achieve universal health coverage for all.”
As the world prepares for COP-30, Tinubu challenged BRICS to become a platform for emergent global solutions grounded in solidarity, sustainability, and shared prosperity.
He endorsed Africa’s initiatives such as the African Carbon Market and the Great Green Wall as pillars for climate resilience and economic reform.
“Nigeria strongly believes in South-South cooperation. We can, therefore, not be passive participants in global decision-making on financial restructuring, debt forgiveness, climate change, environmental issues, and healthcare.”
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to long-term national development goals outlined in Vision 2050, with a focus on sustainable and inclusive economic pathways.
Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Mr Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance, accompanied the President to the summit.
