Abuja.
Nigerian government minister presented the keys of Abuja city to PM Modi as a mark of respect. In fact, this key is a symbol of the respect and trust shown by the people of Nigeria towards Prime Minister Modi. The Government of Nigeria has announced to honor Prime Minister Narendra Modi with its top honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger.
Before PM Modi, only Britain’s former Queen Queen Elizabeth was honored with this honour. Nigeria is the 17th country which is honoring PM Modi with its top honour. Nigeria is India’s largest trading partner after China and the Netherlands. There are many Gujarati and Sindhi families settled in Nigeria.
Why is Nigeria important for India
Nigeria has huge reserves of oil and gas, due to which Nigeria is one of the important countries of Africa. Nigeria is also important for India’s energy needs. India has invested in Nigeria’s sectors like energy, mining, pharmaceuticals and information technology and about 150 Indian companies are working in Nigeria, which have investments of about $ 27 billion.
On the third and final leg of his visit, Modi will visit Guyana from November 19 to 21 at the invitation of President Mohammed Irfan Ali. This will be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Guyana in more than 50 years. This is Prime Minister Modi’s first visit to the West African country Nigeria. He is on a five-day visit to Nigeria, Brazil and Guyana. From Nigeria they will go to Brazil. In Brazil, he will attend the 19th G20 Summit as a Troika member. Along with Prime Minister Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden will be among the leaders attending the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro on November 18-19.
In another post, the Prime Minister wrote, ‘The Marathi community in Nigeria expressed happiness over Marathi being given the status of a classical language. It is really commendable that they are connected to their culture and roots. It is noteworthy that Marathi was one of the many languages given the status of classical language by the Union Cabinet last month. Nigerian President Tinubu wrote in a post shared on social media that he is looking forward to welcoming the Indian Prime Minister. The objective of our bilateral discussions is to expand the strategic partnership between the two countries and enhance cooperation in key areas. Prime Minister Modi, welcome to Nigeria. Responding to the Nigerian President’s social media post, the Prime Minister wrote, ‘Thank you, President Tinubu. I reached Nigeria a while ago. Grateful for the warm welcome. I wish that this visit will further deepen the bilateral friendship between our countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached the African country Nigeria on Sunday in the first leg of his three-nation tour. Prime Minister Modi’s plane landed in Abuja, Nigeria, where he was warmly welcomed by Nigerian Government Minister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike. Nigerian government minister presented the keys of Abuja city to PM Modi as a mark of respect. In fact, this key is a symbol of the respect and trust shown by the people of Nigeria towards Prime Minister Modi.
“”In Nigeria, the Marathi community expressed joy at Marathi being conferred the status of a Classical Language. It is truly commendable how they remain connected to their culture and roots. pic.twitter.com/hVDVykAGi2
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 16, 2024″”
