BRICS Summit: Shettima reaffirms Nigeria’s support for WTO, multilateral trade
Vice President Kashim Shettima has reaffirmed Nigeria’s support for the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the multilateral trading system, saying no country can prosper in isolation from the global community.
Stanley Nkwocha, the vice president’s spokesman, said in a statement on Saturday that Mr Shettima assured the WTO of continued support for and promotion of a global system built on cooperation.
Mr Shettima spoke on Saturday during a meeting with WTO Director-General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on the sidelines of the ongoing BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, India.
“I believe the world is greater than one nation. We will continue to support the WTO in championing multilateralism. We are essentially one human family and interconnected. You cannot divorce yourself from the global community,” he said.
He also made the case for migration as a key driver of development, innovation, and economic growth, noting that immigrants have historically helped build nations and cities worldwide.
“Nations are built by immigrants. Even cities are built by people who came from outside, not just by the locals. That goes to show that we have so much to gain from global migration.
“Recent Pew Research Centre analysis of 2024 US Census Bureau data showed that 67 per cent of Nigerian-born Black immigrants aged 25 and above in the United States held at least a bachelor’s degree, the highest proportion among the major Black immigrant groups examined,” he stated.
The vice president also commended Ms Okonjo-Iweala for her leadership of the WTO, urging her to continue deploying her experience in the service of global development.
“You are doing a very wonderful job at the WTO, but you still have a lot to contribute to humanity,” he told the WTO DG.
The vice-president will, on Sunday, present Nigeria’s partnership and foreign investment opportunities when he speaks to leaders of the BRICS alliance at the ongoing summit themed “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
The Peoples Gazette had earlier reported that Mr Shettima arrived in New Delhi, India, to attend the 18th BRICS leaders’ summit.
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