Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday attended the swearing-in ceremony of President of Nigeria Bola Ahmed, held at Tinubu Eagle Square in Abuja. Mr. Singh is on a three-day visit to the West African nation, the first-ever by an Indian Defence Minister.
“India was among the select non-African nations that were represented in the ‘swearing-in ceremony’ at Ministerial level, reflecting the high priority and strength of India’s bilateral relations,” Mr. Singh said on Twitter.
He also met the outgoing Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari during a reception hosted by him on May 28.
In addition to senior officials of Ministry of Defence, given the growing defence cooperation between India and Nigeria the Minister’s delegation to Nigeria included top executives of Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSU), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Goa Shipyard Limited.
“These executives held a series of meetings with Nigerian military and government representatives for identifying their requirements which can be fulfilled by the Indian defence companies. Business to business meetings were held with Nigerian companies for enhancing cooperation,” a Defence Ministry statement said.
Mr. Singh also had a brief meeting with the Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperative of Bangladesh Md. Tazul Islam who was also in Abuja to attend the swearing-in ceremony.
Nigeria is home to an estimated 50,000 members of the Indian community. Mr. Singh is scheduled to meet the Indian diaspora at Abuja during the visit.
