Nigeria, India boost relations as PM Singh departs Abuja
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Oct 17, 2007, 08:01

President Umar Musa Yar’Adua and visiting Indian Prime Minister Hon Manmohan Singh on Monday October 15 2007 signed the “Abuja Declaration on Strategic Partnership”, which together with six other Memoranda of Understandings would deepen both countries’ already lucrative bilateral relations.

The Indian Prime Minister who departed Abuja on Tuesday after the signing ceremony had arrived the previous day to begin a three-day State Visit to Nigeria, the first since 2003 when former Prime Minister Vajpayee arrived to participate in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Ojo Maduekwe explained that the MoUs deal with consultations between both countries' foreign ministries, collaboration between institutions of international affairs and cooperation between Foreign Service Academies.

The visit of the Prime Minister, he said, will provide opportunity for discussions and chart the way forward for Nigerians who desire to work or established businesses in India.

“Promotion of their welfare and upholding their rights and dignified treatment of Nigerians at home and abroad have been top on the agenda of the present administration in pursuit of our concept of citizen diplomacy.

“Welfare and treatment of Nigerians in India will also be on the agenda,'' he said, adding that the Nigeria-India Joint Commission, held last in 2003 in New Delhi, would be reactivated in view of the fact that since the signing of the joint commission agreement on economic, scientific and technical cooperation in 1979, only three sessions of the commission had been held in 1981, 1989 and in 2003.

He said the commission had proved to be an effective framework for management of relations between both countries.

The visit of the Indian Head of Government is significant in many ways. Mr Singh addressed a Joint Session of the National Assembly on Monday, becoming the first world leader to be accorded this important symbolic gesture by the current Assembly. And it is an honour eminently deserved considering the depth of bilateral relations enjoyed by both countries which share several historical and geographical similarities. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country and the fastest growing economy on the continent while India, with over one billion people is, together with China, the new face of world industrial development and economic empowerment.

Mr Singh arrived at the head of a 150-member Indian trade delegation which held talks with Nigerian officials and captains to industry in such areas as health, defence and foreign relations.

Nigeria has always counted on India’s friendship and the exchanges between both countries have always been rancour-free and genuine. Nigeria is India largest African trading partner with annual trade turnover put at over $3billion. In defence, education and especially trade, relations between both countries has continued to improve. Nigeria is taking part in the upcoming 27th Indian International Trade Fair where it will be represented by 27 companies exhibiting processed wood, solid minerals products, cocoa and other agricultural products as well as textile materials. In September 2007 the Export-Import bank of India extended a five-year credit scheme to its Nigerian counterpart for the financing of import and export, facilitating items of capital and engineering goods, industrial manufactures, commodities and services. Traditionally, India’s chief import from Nigeria is oil but trade in non-oil commodities is expected to increase.

Nigeria enjoys relations with India in several other mutually beneficial areas like aviation and pharmaceutical trade.

Indian firms are benefited from Nigeria’s privatization exercise as the countries two premier iron and steel firms are under Indian management.

The visit of Hon Singh to Nigeria at this point in time is significant in not only consolidating bilateral relations between two very friendly countries with much to look forward to but in showing that the world is gradually warming up to Nigeria again after the 2007 general elections.

It shows that President Yar’Adua’s quiet style diplomacy is yielding results and in the months to come more prominent world leaders would find it irresistible to visit Nigeria where Return-on-Investment rate is adjudged one of the most lucrative in the developing world.


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