India's partnership with Nigeria is very important, said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the first day of his official visit to that country.
Attending a reception hosted by Indian High Commissioner HHS Viswanathan at the Congress Hall at Hilton Hotel in Nigerian capital Abuja on Sunday evening, the prime minister said, "India and Nigeria share many commonalities. Our historical experiences and common developmental challenges have brought us close together. We share common hopes and aspirations."
"We now seek to build on the goodwill that exists between us and shape a strong contemporary partnership that is multi-faceted and mutually beneficial," he pointed out.
Nigeria, said the prime minister, is India's largest partner in Africa. It also plays an important role in meeting India's quest for energy security.
Incidentally, India's Petroleum Secretary M S Srinivasan is accompanying the prime minister as a representative of India's oil and gas sector.
According to sources, wider economic and political relations between the two countries are topping the prime minister's agenda and it is presumed that energy-related agreements are to be signed with the African nation rich in hydrocarbon.
It is significant to mention here that National Thermal Power Corporation
Limited plans to secure LNG supplies from Nigeria to meet fuel requirements for its domestic projects. Recently, NTPC inked an agreement with Nigeria to build two plants in the country in lieu of 3 million metric tons of LNG a year million metric tons of LNG a year.
All eyes are, therefore, on the tete-a-tete between Dr Singh and the Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to be held on Monday.
The prime minister expressed his delight at the fact that Indian doctors who came in the 1970s and 80s are still remembered fondly in Nigeria.
"I am told that Indian industry and business is the second largest employer in Nigeria," he said.
While commending the success of the Indians in Nigeria, Dr Singh said, "I would also like to pay tribute to the openness of the Nigerian society, which has created an enabling climate for our people to do well and flourish."
Dr Singh praised the Indian community in Nigeria for their tolerance, adaptability and remarkable resilience.
"I believe that this background has something to do with the remarkable adaptability and resilience of Indian communities all over the world," the prime minister said.