Nigeria Joins Vote Against Russia, 17 Other African Countries Stay Neutral

Nigeria has joined 140 other countries to demand Russian troops be withdrawn from Ukraine. This is coming up after a United Nations General Assembly that saw the adoption of a resolution of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis on Wednesday, 2nd March.

According to the resolution between Nigeria and 140 other countries, Russia has been demanded to immediately withdraw its troops from Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin-led Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday, 24th February.

In another update from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group, Ukraine’s request for urgent financing of about $5.2bn cumulatively, is said to be attended to briefly.

The United Nations General Assembly took more than two days of deliberation which ended with 141 out of 193 member states voting for the non-binding resolution.

Five countries sided with Russia. They include: Eritrea, North Korea, Syria, Belarus and Russia. However, about 35 countries – mainly African countries – abstained from voting. They include: Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Burundi, Central African Republic, China, Congo, Cuba, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lao, Madagascar, Mali, Mongolia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tajikistan, Uganda, Tanzania, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

Nigeria aligning with 140 other countries to condemn Russia’s action is a historic departure from the country’s history of non-aligned involvement in the politics between the West and Russia.

Nigeria to Evacuate Citizens Caught up in Russia-Ukraine Crisis

Only yesterday, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari approved $8.5m for the evacuation of Nigerians caught up in the crisis – a move that has been commended as swift and well-thought-out. The first batch of evacuees are expected to arrive Nigeria today, 3rd March, as the country has solicited local airline operators Air Peace Airline and Max Air Airline to see to the safe evacuation of Nigerians in Ukraine that have made their way to Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.

However, while Nigeria may have sided with 140 other countries against Russia, the resultant effect of that can cause a ripple effect that may affect Nigeria in a number of ways. Although for commendable reasons, Nigeria’s decision comes off as justified, however, when you consider Nigeria’s historic relationship with Russia, it now becomes a tricky situation for both parties.

Russia is currently one of Nigeria’s largest trading partners in the importation of certain commodities: Durum wheat, herrings, blue whitings, and mackerel – and evidently, while the Russian-Ukraine crisis has caused a pause in importation of these commodities, Nigeria aligning with The West can create a whole different direction for the relationship between Nigeria and Russia.