By Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the multilateral trading system, declaring that no country can achieve sustainable prosperity in isolation from the global community.
Shettima said Nigeria would continue to support the WTO in strengthening multilateralism and promoting a global system founded on cooperation rather than isolation.
The Vice President stated this on Saturday during a meeting with the Director-General of the WTO, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on the sidelines of the ongoing BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, India.
According to a statement signed by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications, Office of the Vice President, Shettima stressed the interconnectedness of nations and the importance of global cooperation.
“I believe the world is greater than one nation. We will continue to support the WTO in championing the cause of multilateralism. We are essentially one human family and interconnected. You cannot divorce yourself from the global community,” he said.
Shettima also described migration as an important driver of development, innovation and economic growth, noting that immigrants had historically played significant roles in the development of nations and cities across the world.
“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,” he said.
The Vice President cited the Nigerian diaspora as an example, noting that Nigerians living abroad had continued to distinguish themselves through educational attainment, entrepreneurship and professional accomplishments.
He referenced a recent Pew Research Center analysis of 2024 US Census Bureau data, which 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.
Shettima said the figure represented the highest proportion among the major Black immigrant groups examined.
The Vice President also commended Okonjo-Iweala for her leadership of the WTO, urging her to continue deploying her experience and expertise to advance 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 Director-General.
Okonjo-Iweala, who became the first woman and first African to lead the WTO, began her second four-year term as Director-General in September 2025.
Meanwhile, Shettima is expected on Sunday to present Nigeria’s partnership and foreign investment opportunities to leaders of the BRICS alliance at the ongoing summit, themed “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
The Vice President is also expected to highlight the Federal Government’s efforts to promote a more inclusive international order while reiterating President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly its focus on creating sustainable opportunities through economic reforms, infrastructure expansion and private-sector-led growth.
