Prime Minister Modi met Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the G-20 Summit in New Delhi in September 2023.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Nigeria for the first time today on Saturday. He is going to the African country on the invitation of President Ahmed Tinubu.
This will be the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Nigeria in 17 years. Before Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in 2007, the then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had visited Nigeria.
PM Modi will meet President Tinubu on Sunday. There will be discussion between them on further strengthening India-Nigeria bilateral relations. After this, Modi will also address the people of the Indian community in the capital Abuja.
The distance from India to Nigeria is 7607 km.
Why is Nigeria important for India Nigeria is one of the important countries of Africa due to its huge reserves of oil and gas. This country fulfills the energy needs of India. Indian investment in Africa has been growing steadily, especially in sectors such as energy, mining, pharmaceuticals and information technology.
Nigeria is an important member of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) and the Organization of Oil Producing Countries (OPEC). Both these organizations are important for India's diplomacy and economic policy.
India-Nigeria relations are 66 years old After independence, India strongly supported the independence of African countries. Diplomatic relations between the two countries began even before Nigeria's independence. India established a Diplomatic House in Nigeria in 1958. Nigeria got independence after 2 years.
India's first PM Jawaharlal Nehru visited Nigeria in September 1962. After his visit, the foundation of bilateral relations between the two countries was laid.
India is the largest democracy in the world while Nigeria is the largest democratic country in Africa. The population of Nigeria (23 crore) is less than that of Uttar Pradesh (24 crore), but this country is among the fastest growing countries. The United Nations estimates that by 2050, Nigeria's population will be 400 million. Then India will be the third most populous country in the world after China.
According to BBC, Nigeria is divided into two parts. Poverty is high in the northern part where Muslims are in majority. Southern and Eastern Nigeria have a large Christian population. This area is more prosperous. Despite opposition from Christians, many northern states have adopted Islamic Sharia law. Because of this there have been disputes and fights between the two communities.
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Graphics Source: NavJivanIndia | VaskarAssets
