Nigeria plans to apply for membership in the BRICS bloc of countries after the necessary arrangements within the country are finished, Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar has said in an interview with Sputnik.
"We intend to do it. Like I said before, Nigeria runs a deliberative democratic system. So there tends to be a lot of engagement with different interest groups, different internal bodies before such an action is taken," Tuggar said.
The minister emphasized the importance of Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima's participation in the 2023 BRICS Summit in South Africa.
"So we're very keen on it. We look forward to it," Tuggar added.
The minister also spoke about the cooperation between his country and Russia, noting that Abuja and Moscow are working to accelerate the implementation of joint nuclear energy projects.
The sides are currently implementing practical steps, training people, the minister said, adding that the Nigerian Atomic Energy Commission and partners in Russia's Rosatom are trying to speed up the process.
Nigeria is considering all aspects of cooperation in this area, not limited to electricity production, but including medical, agricultural and industrial applications of nuclear technology, the official added.
Tuggar emphasized that Nigeria will not succumb to external pressure from the West regarding cooperation with Russia and will follow its national interests.
"You have to understand one thing, Nigeria is not the sort of country that succumbs to pressure. We have been single-minded since inception. Since we became independent in 1960, we joined the non-aligned movement. We do what we feel is right for us as a country, we are not dictated to by anyone," the minister pointed out.
Moreover, Nigeria welcomes alternatives to the SWIFT payment system, including a Russian analogue — the Financial Messaging System of the Bank of Russia (SPFS), — and will consider their use if it satisfies its national interests, Tuggar noted.
"This [SPFS] is a very interesting system. It is something that is welcome. You know, the more the merrier, as they say. It doesn't mean that SWIFT is not a good system, but if there are other alternatives, Nigeria would consider [them] ... It's something that we will look at. And if it's in our interest to engage in it, we will for sure," the minister said, when asked to comment on the creation of SPFS and the possibility of Nigeria joining it.
SWIFT is the world's main international payment system, exchanging millions of messages every day. In 2014, after the first wave of Russia sanctions, several countries launched work on developing their own payment systems. The Bank of Russia has created the SPFS system, which ensures uninterrupted transmission of financial messages within and outside the country, while China has launched the Cross-Border Interbank Payment System.
Tuggar is paying a working visit to Moscow from March 5 to 7.
Earlier, Tuggar disclosed that Nigeria will seek to join BRICS within the next two years to ensure that the nation's voice is taken into account in major global organizations.