#TrackNigeria: The Federal Government of Nigeria and India will continue to deepen their bilateral ties in the areas of economy, infrastructure and human capital development, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said.
Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja said the vice president received an Indian delegation led by the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr V. Muraleedharan, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Indian delegation was part of the dignitaries that attended the June 12 Democracy Day celebration, which held earlier in the day at Eagle Square, Abuja.
The Vice President said that Nigeria could learn a lot from India’s development trajectory over the last decades amidst its huge population.
“India is a crucial strategic partner with Nigeria and we have a lot to learn from India, especially as you heard in the President’s speech on India’s success in a democratic setting, and the results it has achieved in the last few decades, especially with such a huge population.“There is absolutely no reason why Nigeria cannot do so-succeed.“In order to do so, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel; one of the ways to do that is by closer economic cooperation on so many fronts, including in the area of infrastructure, enhancing the capacity of rail transportation, amongst other areas,” he said.
In his remarks, Muraleedharan praised President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that India was Nigeria’s largest trading partner.He added that bilateral trade between both countries had increased by about 20 per cent in the last one year.
“Nigeria is very important to us (India); the new re-elected governments of both countries would surely strengthen cooperation in the next five years.“10 per cent of our crude requirements come from Nigeria and about 50,000 Indian nationals live and work in Nigeria,” he said.(NAN)
