Tinubu leverages BRICS summit to reposition Nigeria in shifting global power order

 

By Faridat Salifu

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presence at the 17th BRICS Summit in Brazil has signaled a deliberate recalibration of Nigeria’s foreign policy, with Abuja now seeking greater influence in emerging multipolar alliances beyond traditional Western partnerships.

Returning to Abuja on Sunday after a two-nation visit to Saint Lucia and Brazil, Tinubu capped his tour with high-level participation in BRICS activities—his first since Nigeria joined the bloc’s new “partner-country” framework in January 2025.

The trip, which also included a symbolic diplomatic stop in Saint Lucia where he was conferred the Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Lucia (KCOSL), highlighted Tinubu’s push to expand Nigeria’s soft-power influence in both the Global South and Caribbean regions.

Analysts say the move underscores a shift in Nigeria’s geopolitical strategy: positioning itself as a bridge between Africa and emerging economies in Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe.

At the Rio de Janeiro summit, Tinubu’s intervention touched on global finance and climate policy, but the broader message was clear Nigeria intends to shape global governance from within non-Western coalitions.

“Nigeria associates with what I have heard today and all that has happened in BRICS,” Tinubu stated, as he called for reforms that would realign financial systems and development architecture with the realities of emerging economies.

The visit marks a continuation of Nigeria’s South-South diplomacy under Tinubu, following previous engagements with the African Union, the G77, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

By joining BRICS’ expanded orbit alongside countries like Thailand, Cuba, and Kazakhstan, Nigeria is positioning itself not merely as a participant, but as a key interlocutor in shaping alternative development narratives outside Bretton Woods institutions.

At the summit, Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria’s domestic agenda, citing the African Carbon Market Initiative, the Great Green Wall, and Vision 2050 as models of regional climate and economic resilience that could be scaled across partner nations.

Observers noted that Nigeria’s participation was not framed around aid or assistance, but around co-leadership, with Tinubu urging BRICS to evolve into a “beacon for emerging solutions rooted in solidarity, self-reliance, and shared prosperity.”

In line with this vision, the presidency is expected to intensify its diplomatic lobbying for Nigeria to eventually attain full BRICS membership a move that would position Africa’s largest economy as a central node in the evolving global economic landscape.

The trip also allowed Nigeria to strengthen its bilateral ties with Brazil, a long-standing partner in South Atlantic cooperation, and to explore new economic and technical collaborations in areas like energy, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture.

While global media attention focused on climate pledges and financial reform rhetoric, Tinubu’s BRICS debut appears to be more about charting a future where Nigeria plays an agenda-setting role across multiple global platforms.