India, Nigeria agree to bilateral defence cooperation, jointly combat radicalisation, terrorism

New Delhi: India and Nigeria agreed to step up bilateral defence cooperation and jointly combat the menace of radicalisation and terrorism as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the West African nation in Abuja on Sunday.

Tinubu conferred Nigeria’s national award “Grand Commander of the Order of Niger” on Modi. The prime minister dedicated the honour to the people of India and the longstanding, historical friendship between India and Nigeria.

He said that the award underscored the strategic partnership between the two countries and their shared commitment to the aspirations of the Global South. “India is the mother of democracy and Nigeria is the biggest democracy of Africa,” Modi said, accepting the award from Tinubu.

“Honoured to be conferred with the ‘Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger’ Award by Nigeria. I accept it with great humility and dedicate it to the people of India.”

The prime minister was the first foreign recipient of the award after 1969 when Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom had received the award from the Government of Nigeria.

“Thank you, PM Modi, for being a good friend of Nigeria,” said Tinubu.

Abuja was the first stop of the prime minister after he left New Delhi on Saturday for a three-nation tour, which would also take him to Brazil and Guyana in addition to Nigeria.

“We identified several promising areas for enhanced collaboration and cooperation, including culture, defence, mining, customs, and education, among others,” the Nigerian president said after he met with the prime minister of India.

“As the two largest democracies in the world and in Africa, the strategic partnership between Nigeria and India has stood the test of time. Today's visit will help advance this cooperation towards our shared prosperity.”

They witnessed the signing of three Memoranda of Understanding between India and Nigeria – on a cultural exchange programme, customs cooperation, and survey cooperation.

India is ready to share its experience in agriculture, transportation, affordable medicine, renewable energy, and digital transformation with Nigeria, Modi told Tinubu.

Nigeria appreciated the development cooperation partnership offered by India and its meaningful impact in creating local capacities, skills, and professional expertise.

The two leaders also discussed enhancing defence and security cooperation. They reaffirmed their commitment to jointly fighting terrorism, piracy, and radicalisation.

Modi will visit Rio De Janeiro from Monday to Tuesday to attend the G20 summit to be hosted by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.