Thursday, June 26, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact
Newsroom Nigeria
  • Home
  • News
    • Across the Nation
    • Crime Watch
    • Metro
    • Political Arena
  • Politics
  • Opinions
  • Crime and Court
    • Judiciary
  • Business
    • Banking
    • Business and Economy
    • Business Life
No Result
View All Result
Newsroom Nigeria
Home Opinions

Opinion: Building BRICS, Brick by Bricks

A vastly expanded BRICS would signal the decline of the dollar and the American Empire. However, the US will not go down without a fight

Newsroom Nigeria by Newsroom Nigeria
August 25, 2023
in Opinions
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

 

By Owei Lakemfa

Related posts

Viewpoint : Who Needs an African Pope? By Bolanle BOLAWOLE

April 27, 2025

Viewpoint: Wike, Azuka-Mbata: Are Ikwerres Igbo? By Bola BOLAWOLE

January 22, 2025

THIS week has been one of the most tumultuous with the plucking of Wagner chiefs from the sky, France’s renewed bid to invade Niger and fires thrashing North America, to the dramatic rescue of Pakistani school children after 16 hours of dangling from a broken cable car hundreds of metres above a ravine.

The week beginning August 20, 2023 found the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, reduced to a weather forecaster constantly threatening brimstones over Niger Republic and withdrawing the threats with declarations for peaceful means of reversing the Nigerien July 26 coup. The less active African Union, playing the same role as ECOWAS, became a louder voice.

The reality that Africans are not ready to shed the blood of their brothers and sisters in Niger finally dawned on France. It therefore decided to carry out the invasion itself. So, on Monday it approached Algeria for permission to use its airspace to invade Niger.

An enraged Algeria must have been quite hurt that France, which massacred some two million Algerians in an effort to annex the country, would insult it by making such a request. It immediately made public the satanic request of imperialist France, a country that has for over four centuries, stolen resources from Africa. What was Macron’s France thinking by approaching Algeria, a country it invaded in 1830 and has always tried to exploit?

While the coup plotters in Niger might have had narrow intentions, the desperate international attempts to reverse the coup has resulted in an unprecedented anti-imperialist sentiment sweeping through Africa. Not even in the days of Kwame Nkrumah, Sekou Toure, Ben Bella, Patrice Lumumba, Felix Moumie and Albert Luthuli were such sentiments so strong.

In North America, the wildfires are a powerful reminder that nature can be quite stubborn, so we need to do all in our power to live in harmony with it, including taking climate change serious. This Tuesday, over 1,000 wildfires were raging through Canada alone with 650 of them acknowledged to be out of control. This week, that country has lost over 37.8 million acres to the fires. But the Canadian situation is better than the fires razing through Maui, Hawai where with over 1,000 persons missing in those fires; the official body count this Sunday was 115 killed and 850 persons missing.

As noted earlier, Asia produced the good news of eight persons, including six school children snatched from the jaws of death when their cable car hung high in the sky. India also added the good news of landing in the moon, while the news from Cambodia is that after being in office for 38 years, Prime Minister Hun Sen stepped down while his eldest son, Hun Manet, stepped up to replace him. The new Prime Minister was seven years old when his father was sworn in as the Cambodian leader in 1985.

Meanwhile, some of the most dramatic sketches are playing out in Thailand. Former Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was overthrown by the anti-democracy and pro-monarchy military on September 19, 2006, returned from 15 years in exile to serve an eight-year jail sentence. You can be sure that his August 22, 2023 return is part of a political script; he was checked into a hospital, and same day his preferred candidate, Srettha Thavisin, was voted the new Prime Minster.

The leader of the Russian mercenary Wagner group had suddenly resurfaced on social media on Monday apparently speaking from somewhere in Africa. He and six other Wagner leaders, including 53-year old co-founder, Dmitry Utkin, boarded one of his private jets from Moscow, and half an hour later, the aircraft fell from the sky. Given the drone attacks by Ukraine in the past days, it could have been friendly fire. Whatever it was, the Wagner chiefs had made a fatal error in deciding to mutiny and march on Moscow on June 24, 2023 and then suddenly withdrawing. The only elevation a failed mutineer, especially in the military tradition, can hope to get is promotion to heaven.

But the most awaited event in the week was the August 22-24 summit of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, famously known by its acronym: BRICS. Although BRICS says its aims are to promote peace, security, development and cooperation leading to a more equitable and fair world, its clear objective is to create a new system in opposition to the dominant Euro-American world. It is to create a counter weight to the unipolar world. A world dominated by the United States, its allies and institutions like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, IMF, and the World Trade Organisation, WTO, which they control. BRICS aims to change a world in which the dollar is the reserve currency and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, NATO, is the world’s policeman.

To give a sense of their formidable weight, host President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa said the five BRICS members make up a quarter of the global economy, a fifth of global trade and more than 40 per cent of world population. BRICS had before its summit, listed over 40 countries said to have expressed interest in working with it or becoming members.

One of the major issues at this 15th Summit was the issue of expanding membership with some BRICS nations expressing caution. This was resolved in favour of expansion and six of the over 20 countries that applied for membership were admitted. These include three hitherto staunch allies of the US: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, UAE; and Egypt. Also admitted is Iran, a country with a streak of anti-Americanism, Argentina and Ethiopia. They became full members in January 2024. With these new additions, the building of BRICS brick by brick on the foundation of the five founding countries, have begun. It is unclear if a change of name is in the offing.

The summit itself focused on global recession, international trade, food, climate change and international security.

Ramaphosa in reflecting on his country’s Apartheid nightmare, said: “We have always believed that the freedom we won – and the international solidarity from which we benefited – imposes a duty on us to support the struggles of those who continue to experience colonialism and racial oppression. That is why we will continue to support the struggles of the people of Palestine and Western Sahara.”

BRICS may eventually float its own currency which in contrast to the euro, would be more universally acceptable and used. A vastly expanded BRICS would signal the decline of the dollar and the American Empire. However, the US will not go down without a fight; so we have to prepare for a world of wild fires lit by a declining world power.

ShareTweetSendShareShare
Previous Post

IPI LAUNCHES TOOL KIT ON FOUNDATION OF PRESS FREEDOM IN AFRICA

Next Post

PRAY FOR ME, MY 6TH MARRIAGE IS CRASHING -ZANGO, KANNYWOO ACTOR

Related Posts

Faith&Religion

Viewpoint : Who Needs an African Pope? By Bolanle BOLAWOLE

April 27, 2025
Across the Nation

Viewpoint: Wike, Azuka-Mbata: Are Ikwerres Igbo? By Bola BOLAWOLE

January 22, 2025
Opinions

VIEWPOINT: IMPLICATIONS OF NIGERIAN WORDS IN ENGLISH DICTIONARY, By Akaninyene Esiere

January 16, 2025
Opinions

Viewpoint: Baba Obasanjo and the NNPCL Refineries, By Simbo Olorunfemi

January 4, 2025
Foreign

Viewpoint: Kemi Badenoch: It’s time for a Rethink, By Tunde Rahman

December 29, 2024
Bilateral Trade

Viewpoint: X-raying Nigeria’s MoU with France on Solid Minerals By Dada Olusegun

December 8, 2024
Next Post

PRAY FOR ME, MY 6TH MARRIAGE IS CRASHING -ZANGO, KANNYWOO ACTOR

RECOMMENDED NEWS

NON PERFORMING DISCOS SUMMONED TO ABUJA OVER DETERIORATING POWER SUPPLY

1 year ago

NAIRAGONY: BANKS LOCK OUT CUSTOMERS IN LAGOS AS PROTEST LOCKS DOWN ABEOKUTA

2 years ago

Ambassador Seeks ftan’s collaboration to market Ethiopian Cultural tourism offerings in Nigeria* By Frank Meke Ethiopian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Nigeria, His Excellency Legesse Gerenew Haile says his country, Ethiopia is ready to open up and excite the cultural tourism trade link with Nigeria which will help boost the three trillion dollars intra Africa continental economy. The Ambassador, who is barely a month in office in Nigeria, disclosed that Nigeria is a huge cultural tourism source market in Africa and holds a top place in his heart, hence his focal intention to collaborate with the Nigerian private sector premier umbrella tourism trade organisation, Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria ( ftan) to market Ethiopian tourism in Nigeria. Addressing ftan delegation led by the president, Mr Nkereweum Onung at the Ethiopian Embassy in Abuja on Wednesday, the Ambassador, noted that he has followed with keen interest the various activities of the Nigerian private sector tourism federation since assumption of office, hence his invitation to the association leadership to find ways to drive the Ethiopian Nigeria tourism trade relations. ” I must express my gratitude to have you and your team here today in our embassy, which I believe would activate one of the biggest cultural tourism economic developments in Africa. Ethiopia is not strange to Nigerians, but we want to further escalate the various cultural tourism offerings in our country to Nigerians, which would cement and boost closer relationship with Nigerians in particular and other African nations in general ” the Ambassador explained further. He stressed his resolve to collaborate and engage the Nigerian tourism federation to change the cultural tourism trade narratives between both countries, adding that his mission in Nigeria is to accomplish the all-important goal while here in Nigeria without let. ” Ethiopia is ready and willing to welcome Nigerians to our country. We love Nigerians and will like them to know more about us apart from our airline and airport in addis Ababa. We have several historical and religious sites in our country, and our hospitality is top notch with vibrant trade groups and bodies such as your federation, which through our ministry of tourism, we can invite to sit down with you to find ways to work out specific opportunities to boost this relationship. Part of my mission here is to facilitate this opportunity, and I am happy to receive your group here today, ” the ambassador reiterated. In his remarks, ftan president, Mr Nkereweum Onung, commended the initiative of the Ambassador, describing it as the first pro African cultural tourism diplomatic agenda focal to practical mobilisation of cultural tourism diversity of the intra Africa continental trade economy which still begs for breaking down of various barriers to its operational survival. ” we at ftan commend your vision to partner with our organisation which has over 14 sub trade associations under its umbrella. We promise and assure you that we shall process this invitation and support it. We know the Ethiopian airline brand, which is quite huge and proudly African, and to which Nigerians patronise without let. Your tourism and hospitality infrastructure is also exciting, and we shall see how your visa regime works out and that includes other opportunities that would facilitate this collaboration. We shall not rule out intentional trade missions to both countries to further study how to perfect the initiative and in the areas of training and retraining offerings, ” ftan president further noted. Ftan president who took time to also introduce the newly elected president of the Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria ( Atpn) Prince Femi Fadina, who was part of his entourage, and praised the Ambassador for the call for collaboration which other African Ambassadors must emulate to practically oxygenate the three trillion dollars inter African continental trade economy. In another trade visit to the Director General, National Council for Arts and Culture ( NCAC) Obi Asika in Abuja, ftan president stated that any cultural tourism policy which did not have the input and support of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria, will only end as an excise in vain, assuring the NCAC boss of the collaboration and support of the Federation. ” we want to work with you and is happy that both culture and tourism are on the same boat now but we want to see a more practical robust relationship as was done by your predecessor and to which we believe you can take to a higher level of delivery responsibilities.” Ftan president noted. Earlier, the NCAC Director General explained that his focal agenda is to create an enabling environment to which the private sector can effectively own the cultural tourism business in Nigeria to help boost trade revenue and also create jobs for teeming unemployed Nigerians. ” I am a policy person and not really a politician, and I am open to effectual collaboration and relationship with the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria ( ftan). Before you came, I had hosted some trade associations, and I wonder how I will process all of them individually, so I am happy to have you around and look forward to where we all, possibly with the ministry would sit down in serious working session to evaluate our expectations and see to how the Federation can help us add value to various cultural tourism policies which should be driven by the organised private sector with government providing guidance and support where necessary ” Mr obi Asika reiterated . The NCAC boss used the opportunity to officially invite the ftan delegation to the command flag off of the National festival of Arts and Culture ( Nafest) on Saturday in Abuja, adding that the festival would run through the 24th to 30th of November in Abuja

7 months ago

Tinubu, NNPC Urged to Stop Pipeline Contracts to Ex-Militants

1 year ago

FOLLOW US

POPULAR NEWS

  • TAU Students Win Big   at National Innovation Challenge

    TAU Students Win Big   at National Innovation Challenge

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Troops Foil Deadly Terrorist Attack In Niger State, Lose 17 Soldiers

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ADEBAYO HELD ALOFT THE BANNER OF THE UPN, LED BY OBAFEMI AWOLOWO, TINUBU PENS TRIBUTE TO A TRUE STATESMAN

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • TINUBU SIGNS  FOUR TAX BILLS INTO LAW TO TRANSFORM FISCAL, REVENUE FRAMEWORK

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • INEC Receives Applications To Register Obidients People’s Party (OPP), 109 Other Political Parties Registration

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Newsroom Nigeria

This independent, liberal online news platform aims to inform citizens about important issues. NEWSROOM NIGERIA covers political, business, economic, national, and international news. They are committed to journalism ethics and hold the government accountable.

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact

© 2025 Newsroom Nigeria - Designed by Semasir Connect.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Across the Nation
    • Crime Watch
    • Metro
    • Political Arena
  • Politics
  • Opinions
  • Crime and Court
    • Judiciary
  • Business
    • Banking
    • Business and Economy
    • Business Life

© 2025 Newsroom Nigeria - Designed by Semasir Connect.