Nigeria and the D8 group

Early this month, Nigeria took over the two-year chairmanship of the group of Developing Eight Countries (D8) which was established in 1997. The group is made up of Iran, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Turkey and Nigeria. One of its terms of association is to enhance economic cooperation among member nations. President Goodluck Jonathan, while assuming leadership at the last summit in Abuja, urged members to remain focused on using the instrument of trade as a driver of economic growth and development.

D8 has noble objectives: social and economic development of member states, peace instead of conflict, and democracy instead of oppression. It aims to further reinforce economic cooperation among member countries through the sharing of expertise in the fields of energy, transport, tourism, financial management (including banking), infrastructure development, human resource development, science and technology, small and medium scale enterprises, and information and communication technology. It also intends to boost the participation of member states in decision-making processes at the international level.

The group has ambitious plans. It wants to establish a joint investment fund and simplify visa arrangements such that citizens can move freely among member states. Four of the D8 countries- Pakistan, Malaysia, Turkey and Iran have already implemented the visa simplification agreement, and Nigeria is expected to sign up soon. An initiative such as this is commendable, as it is always encouraging to see developing countries seize the initiative in terms of economic development, instead of perpetually waiting on the West for assistance. The group has a target of $1.7trillion worth of trading per annum, among member states by 2012 (currently estimated at $68 billion); with the expectation of improvement through implementing the preferential trade agreement.

However, considering the fact that all the countries within the group are Islamic, except Nigeria which is constitutionally a secular state, we urge President Jonathan to tread with caution. While it may be true that Nigeria was already a member of the D8 before he took over power, it is now his responsibility to ensure that Nigeria’s membership does not jeopardize its other international interests, or those of its citizens for that matter. This is necessary especially when viewed in the context of our country’s recent history of crises, and even violence arising from religious disagreements. A case in point is the violence that broke out across the country in 1986 over the decision of Ibrahim Babangida’s administration then to take Nigeria into the membership of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC). President Jonathan must let it be seen and understood clearly by all that Nigeria is in the D8 solely for economic reasons. Anything short of that, and we have no business remaining in the block.

This is without prejudice to the fact that in an increasingly globalized world, the D8 model of cooperation provides a viable form of South-South cooperation which Nigeria, on account of its abundant human and naturalresources, with a population of over 150 million, ought to take advantage of.

The country also needs to be wary of implementing the free travel agreement and the unhindered migration expected to follow. There is a potential risk to Nigeria’s image here, bearing in mind that we are still struggling to shake off the stigma of our former inclusion on a US ‘Countries of Interest’ terror listing. The fact that some of the D8 countries with which Nigeria intends to implement a visa simplification agreement have been deeply implicated in acts which threaten global peace and security should be of concern and ought to be weighed carefully.