Vice President Shettima reads Nigerian leader's message to world's rising economic bloc, pitches Africa's youngest population as its biggest asset P resident Bola Tinubu did not travel to India for the 18th BRICS Summit, but his message still reached the room. Vice President Kashim Shettima stood in for him, reading out a speech that laid out, in clear terms, what Nigeria wants from its growing relationship with the bloc: real investment, shared technology, and a seat at the table when big decisions about the global economy are made. The summit, chaired by India this year, carried the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability." Shettima opened by thanking the Indian government and people for their hospitality, before getting into the heart of Nigeria's message one built around partnership, not charity. A key part of that message centered on Nigeria’s people. One number stood out in the speech: 16.9. That is the average age of N...