India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu met to renew what they called the “strategic partnership” between the giants of Asia and Africa on Sunday.
Abuja was Modi’s first stop in a tour that will take the Indian premier on to the G20 summit in Brazil, and to Guyana.
The visit was billed by New Delhi as a meeting of the largest democracy in the world and the largest in Africa, “natural partners” as both push for a more central role in world affairs.
Modi was welcomed to the Nigerian presidency by a military pipe band and honour guard, before entering closed door talks with Tinubu and senior officials at his Aso Rock residence.
“Our cooperation is very strong and there are many new possibilities as well for us to take our cooperation forward,” Modi said in preliminary remarks as talks got underway.
“As we just said, we have always worked together to address challenges such as terrorism, separatism, piracy and drug trafficking.”
Tinubu conferred on Modi the Nigerian honour Grand Commander of the Order of Niger, congratulated him on India’s democratic credentials and pledged to work together on the “basis of mutual respect and a shared mission”.
Photos posted on Modi’s account showed him arriving late Saturday at Abuja airport to be welcomed by Nigerian officials and a cheering crowd from the country’s 60,000-strong Indian community.
The visit comes amid a revived push by both India and Nigeria for permanent representation on the United Nations Security Council.
The five permanent members of the top UN body — the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain — hold a powerful veto that they can use to protect their international interests.
In recent years, supporters of a more “multipolar” world have pushed for African, Asian and Latin American countries to be given more senior global roles alongside the older great powers.
In his prepared remarks, Modi alluded to this drive, telling Tinubu “together we will also continue to highlight at a global level the priorities of the Global South.
“And thanks to our joint efforts, we will achieve success as well in this,” he promised.
Nigeria’s 220-million-strong population is comfortably the largest in Africa, but in diplomatic strength it is rivalled by South Africa.
If UN members bow to the pressure to give increased representation to an African country, Abuja and Pretoria could end up competing for the place.
India is the world’s most populous nation — its 1.4 billion people represent a sixth of humanity — and is a nuclear-armed power.
It has long sought a permanent UN Security Council seat.
India is also a member of the nine-strong BRICs group with Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.
Nigeria is a BRICs “partner country” but has not been given full membership, with some observers accusing South Africa of holding them up.
Africa has become a theatre of competition between the United States, former colonial powers from Europe, as well as Russia, Turkey and especially China.
India too has made inroads, and ahead of the trip Modi’s office boasted that more than 200 Indian companies had invested $27 billion in Nigerian manufacturing, becoming major employers.
Nigeria is also a destination for Indian development funds, with $100 million in loans and training programmes for local workers.