Washington has deployed special operations forces to Nigeria to help combat a growing terrorist threat. Yet regional experts offer a more skeptical assessment. In this episode, Professor Abubakar Sadeeque Abba, professor of political economy and developmental studies at the University of Abuja, dug deeper into this narrative to answer if the US engagement in Nigeria is a pure security partnership or a means for broader geopolitical interests, and crucially, at a time when Nigeria—one of Africa’s largest economies and most populous nations—has been a partner in the BRICS bloc.
“As a Nigerian, I don't believe the US has what it takes to help Nigeria counter terrorism. It’s a dream, it’s a fantasy, it’s deceptive, and it’s not possible. Because no country on earth can help you to fight or maintain security in your country [...] America is not a magnanimous nation. Whatever America gives you, you must pay tenfold. And before they give you one, they must have taken tenfold from you. So we shouldn't be deceiving ourselves. Show me one single country on earth, anywhere under the sun, which America helped sincerely, objectively, and without any strings attached. There is none! [...] I believe in terms of anything politically, economically, socially, environmentally, militarily, or technologically, from whatever angle you look at BRICS, Nigeria stands to gain. And Nigeria stands to lose nothing by joining BRICS [...] Joining BRICS will help, and we can leverage our BRICS membership to have military assistance, military collaborations, and military trainings,” the professor stated.
To understand the concrete benefits multipolarity actually offers African states and the potential of the BRICS bloc on the continent, Professor Zwelethu Jolobe, the head of the political studies department and an associate professor of political science at the University of Cape Town, gave an elaborate review of what the unipolar order meant and how BRICS is a means by which African states might reclaim autonomy in a system that has historically denied it.
“The big kind of advantage, or the big benefit, that many African countries see in BRICS—those that participate in BRICS and those that have an interest in it—is that they see BRICS as the kind of institution that is fair. And fairness is a very important thing. I think that we tend to underestimate it at times, which means they know for sure that when they sit with fellow BRICS members, they sit as equals, and that perhaps is the most important premise for forming any successful organization—if participants understand that they have a value and that they are valued. And, because of that alone, it means that even if there are going to be disagreements and they are going to disagree, those disagreements will be mediated in a system that is designed to produce fair results for everybody,” the expert highlighted.
Curious to hear more? Tune in to the full conversation on the Pan-African Frequency podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
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