Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had lengthy discussions on Sunday about strengthening the India-Nigeria collaboration in a number of sectors, such as digital public infrastructure, commerce, and investment.
He used the Yoruba phrase Ore mi, which means “My friend,” to address the host during his opening comments. He also offered sympathies to people hit by the recent floods in the nation and said that India will be sending 20 tons of rescue supplies.
According to Indian officials, over 200 Indian corporations have invested around USD 27 billion in all significant industrial sectors, making them the country’s second-largest employers behind the federal government. India has been Nigeria’s development partner in two ways: by providing training programs to increase capacity and by providing developmental aid in the form of concessional loans (USD 100 million).Sharing my remarks during meeting with President Tinubu. @officialABAThttps://t.co/ZORuc4Zfps
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 17, 2024
On his first visit to the West African nation after a 17-year hiatus, Modi touched down in the Nigerian capital early Sunday.
The prime minister was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the presidential villa following which he held one-on-one meeting with Tinubu.
“I am happy that I have visited Nigeria at the beginning of my third term. I am happy that under India’s G20 chairmanship, Nigeria got the status of a guest country and the African Union became a permanent member of the grouping,” PM Modi said.
“We prioritise our strategic partnership with Nigeria. Defence, energy, finance, health, education and culture are some of the many sectors where India and Nigeria are cooperating, with new avenues opening as our relationship deepens,” he further added.
He also said that both nations India and Nigeria are together meeting challenges posed by terrorism, separatism, piracy and drug trafficking. He also thanked the Nigerian government for acting as a ‘guardian’ of the 60,000-strong Indian community living in the nation.
“President Tinubu acknowledged India’s efforts to amplify the concerns of developing countries through the Voice of the Global South Summits. The two leaders agreed to work together to meet the development aspirations of the Global South,” the external affairs ministry said in a press release.
“(The Nigerian government) made a special gesture by giving the key of Abuja City PM Modi at the airport,” Dammu Ravi, external ministry’s top official, said.
He further added that PM Modi expressed sympathy for the recent floods in Nigeria and dedicated the honour conferred upon him by President Tinubu to the India-Nigeria friendship and the people of India. He also discussed regional and global issues during his interactions with Nigerian leadership.
Modi is in Nigeria as part of a three-nation tour. From Abuja, he will travel to Brazil to attend the G20 summit. His last destination will be Guyana.
The India-Nigeria ties were elevated to the status of a “strategic partnership’ during the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the African nation in October 2007.
Nigeria has been a close partner of India for over six decades.
New Delhi established its diplomatic House in Lagos in November 1958, two years before Nigeria became independent in 1960.
The presence of a large Indian expatriate community of about 60,000, the largest in West Africa, adds value to the importance of the long-standing relationship between the two countries.
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Source: News18
