Tinubu Arrives Brazil for Key BRICS Plenary Session

President Bola Tinubu arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Friday night to take part in the 17th BRICS summit, marking Nigeria’s long-anticipated debut as a ‘partner country’ at the influential economic forum.

According to a statement from Presidential Spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, the presidential jet, which departed Saint Lucia earlier in the day, landed at the Galeão Air Force Base at about 8:45 pm local time.

President Tinubu was welcomed by Brazilian officials, including the Secretary for Africa and the Middle East and the Secretary for Innovation and Commerce. The Galeão Air Force Base Commander organised the Guard of Honour for the President.

Brazil’s Deputy Minister for Africa and the Middle East, Ambassador Carlos Duarte, alongside the Deputy Minister for Trade Promotion, Science, Technology, Innovation, and Culture, also received Mr Tinubu.

President Tinubu is in Brazil at the invitation of President Lula Da Silva. The statement noted that the Nigerian leader will attend a bilateral meeting hosted by President Lula on Saturday, ahead of the main summit scheduled for 6 and 7 July.

During the BRICS summit, the President will take part in the plenary session and deliver an address on Nigeria’s ongoing reforms aimed at repositioning the economy for global competitiveness. He will also seek to attract investors to take advantage of Nigeria’s opportunities in agriculture, solid minerals, healthcare, and alternative energy.

The summit is themed “Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance,” with discussions expected to focus on health, artificial intelligence, governance, and climate change.

Ahead of the Leaders’ Summit, BRICS political negotiators held talks on aligning greater commitments towards tackling socially determined diseases, AI governance, and climate finance, with an emphasis on providing practical solutions to the structural challenges facing the Global South.

The statement also listed state governors accompanying the President: Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), and Mohammed Umar Bago (Niger).

President Tinubu is one of four African heads of state invited to the summit, alongside leaders from South Africa, Egypt, and Ethiopia—the three African nations with full BRICS membership.

Nigeria accepted an invitation to become a partner country in January 2025, following the BRICS summit held in Kazan, Russia. This partnership status allows Nigeria to engage in the bloc’s economic and political initiatives without holding full membership.

The BRICS group comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. During 2024-2025, it expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates as full members, while also inviting other nations as partner countries. Nigeria joins this group alongside Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.

Breaking: ASUU suspends 2-week warning strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has suspended its two-week warning strike it declared last week across all public universities in the country. The union announced the suspension on Wednesday at a press conference held at its headquarters in Abuja. President of ASUU, Chris Piwuna, who read a prepared speech before newsmen, explained that the development followed intervention by the Senate and some other well-meaning Nigerians. However, he sad the National Executive Council of the Union resolved to give the government a one-month window to address all contending areas.

JUST IN: If Tinubu Had Told Me, I Wouldn’t Have Agreed To Rivers State Of Emergency Rule – Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has stated that he would not have agreed with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu if he had discussed his move to declare a State of Emergency in Rivers State. Wike noted that he is not in conflict with the suspended Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara He stressed his opposition on the State of Emergency rule, stating that only the President knows the right time to lift it. While speaking to journalists in Abuja on Monday, Wike remarked that Fubara has permitted himself to be manipulated by his adversaries to oppose him. The FCT Minister said: “ I made it clear that this impunity will not stand, so what is happening in PDP is what I call undertakers because I see no reason why you will put yourself under that kind of crisis. “I don’t have any crisis with him (Fubara). I’m not the President who declared a State of Emergency; if Mr President had called me, I wouldn’t have agreed to the State of Emergenc...

Woman Burned to Death, Accused of Kidnapping 7yrs Old Boy in Delta

By Tessy ogbemi An angry mob set ablaze a woman accused in a failed child kidnapping attempt in Agbarho community, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State. The incident happened on Wednesday, September 24, 2025. An eyewitness disclosed at the scene of the incident at Ekwvere Road claimed that the woman hid the seven year old boy she allegedly abducted in a sack, adding that she was even carrying a Bible on one hand. Community sources said some residents in the area accosted the lady when they observed the way she was dragging the sack, to know what she had in it. "She was unstable when they asked her to disclose what she was carrying in the sack. When the bag was forced open, they found a seven year old child in it. They shouted and it attracted a large crowd,” a source said. It was gathered that the angry mob immediately brought a used tyre to the scene, which they forced down her neck after beating her to a pulp. “The lady and the tyre we...

FocalPoint Reports

Search This Blog