India and Nigeria renew ties as Modi visits

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu met Sunday to renew what they call the "strategic partnership" between two major nations of Asia and Africa.

Nigeria's capital 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 honor 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 honor of 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".

After the talks, a joint statement said the pair had directed officials to finalize the terms of an economic cooperation agreement, a double taxation avoidance deal and a bilateral investment treaty.

Photos posted on Modi's account showed him arriving late Saturday at Abuja airport to be welcomed by a cheering crowd from Nigeria's 60,000-member Indian community.

Security Council bids

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 they can use to protect 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 that "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 said.

In a separate statement announcing that Tinubu would also head to Brazil for the G20, Nigeria noted that it had "always strongly advocated for a reform of the global governing institutions, and often presented its impressive credentials as a strong contender for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council."

Nigeria's population of 220 million 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, a nuclear-armed power, is the world's most populous nation, with its 1.4 billion people representing a sixth of humanity.

It has long sought a permanent UN Security Council seat.

India is also a member of the nine-member BRICS group alongside 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.

Economic cooperation

Africa has become a theatre of competition between the United States, the 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 programs for local workers.

by John Okunyomih