Damilola Oyedele
15 October 2007
Abuja — Nigeria will sign the Abuja Declaration on Strategic Partnership with India today, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, said yesterday in Abuja.
Maduekwe told newsmen after the arrival of the Indian Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, that three other Memoranda of Understanding would be signed by both countries.
He listed the MoUs as those dealing with consultations between both countries' foreign ministries, collaboration between institutions of international affairs and cooperation between Foreign Service Academies.
According to Maduekwe, the visit will create room for discussions and chart the way forward for Nigerians who desire to work or established businesses in India.
"Promotion of their welfare and upholding their rights and dignified treatment of Nigerians at home and abroad have been top on the agenda of the present administration in pursuit of our concept of citizen diplomacy.
"Welfare and treatment of Nigerians in India will also be on the agenda," he said, adding that the Nigeria-India Joint Commission, held last in 2003 in New Delhi, would be reactivated," he said, adding that signing of the joint commission agreement on economic, scientific and technical cooperation in 1979, only three sessions of the commission had been held in 1981, 1989 and in 2003.
He said the commission hadproved to be an effective framework for management of relations between bothcountries.Earlier on arrival, Dr. Manmohan Singh wasreceived by Maduekwe on behalf ofPresident Umaru Yar'Adua.Spokesman for India's external affairsministry, Jawand Sodhi, told the NewsAgency of Nigeria (NAN) at the airportreception that Singh arrived at the head of a150-man delegation.In the delegation are 40 journalists, Indianparliamentarians and businessmen, he said.The Indian leader would meet with theNigeria Economic Advisory Team and theMinisters of Foreign Affairs, Defence andHealth.Singh would address a joint session of theNational Assembly on Monday beforedeparting for South Africa for a summit tobe attended by India, Brazil and SouthAfrica, leading economies in Asia, LatinAmerica and Africa.The summit is being held to expand thepolitical and economic ties between thethree countries planning to increasetrilateral trade to 10 billion dollars by 2010. Singh also plans to seize the opportunity ofthe summit to woo the support of Brazil andSouth Africa for global civil nuclearcooperation.Brazil and South Africa are members of the45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group.India recently signed a nuclear cooperationagreement with the United States.Singh's visit to Nigeria is the first by anIndian Prime Minister to Nigeria in fourdecades, the last being that of JawarlalNehru in 1962.Nigeria is India's largest trading partner onthe African continent, accounting for 11 percent of the Asian country's oil imports.
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