Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the Indian diaspora in Nigeria on Sunday upon his arrival on the first leg of his three-nation visit.
In a series of posts on X, PM Modi shared pictures of his welcome and said it was “heartwarming.”
“It’s Heartwarming to see the Indian community in Nigeria extending such a warm and vibrant welcome!” he said.
Heartwarming to see the Indian community in Nigeria extending such a warm and vibrant welcome! pic.twitter.com/QYfAUOpqRO
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 16, 2024
PM Modi also highlighted that the Marathi community in Nigeria expressed joy at Marathi’s conferral of the status of a classical language during his interaction with the Indian diaspora.
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
PM Modi signed and hailed a painting of him made by a member, Ritu Agrawal, “The PM said that my drawing was very good, and he took the pen from me and signed the drawing. He was very happy.”
The Indian diaspora was excited to interact with PM Modi upon his arrival. Dhirendra Singh Chouhan, another member of the Indian diaspora, reflected the same excitement. “We have been waiting for this day for a long time. We gave PM the message of how much pride we are feeling because of his visit. We hope that by his visit, India-Nigeria ties will improve further,” Dhirendra Singh Chouhan, another member of the Indian diaspora, said.
People from distant parts of Nigeria travelled to take a glimpse of PM Modi. Jitendra Pandey is one of those members of the Indian diaspora who travelled from Laos to Abuja. “I came from Lagos to meet PM Modi. We felt very happy after meeting him. There is also a lot of excitement among Nigerians because of PM Modi’s arrival,” he said.
MEA also shared pictures of the welcome extended by Nigeria and the Indian diaspora to PM Modi. Upon his arrival in Abuja, the capital of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, PM Modi was warmly welcomed by Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, Minister for Federal Capital Territory.
Minister Wike presented PM Modi with the ‘Key to the City’ of Abuja. The key symbolises the trust and honour bestowed on the PM by the people of Nigeria. The Prime Minister is scheduled to hold bilateral discussions in Nigeria to strengthen the ties between the two countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a three-nation tour to Nigeria, Brazil, and Guyana from November 17 to November 21.
Thank you, President Tinubu.
Landed a short while ago in Nigeria. Grateful for the warm welcome. May this visit deepen the bilateral friendship between our nations. @officialABAT https://t.co/hlRiwj1XnV pic.twitter.com/iVW1Pr60Zi
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 16, 2024
PM Modi issued a statement indicating his first stop in Nigeria, following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s invitation, aimed at strengthening strategic ties between both countries.
“At the invitation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, this will be my first visit to Nigeria, which is our close partner in the West African region. My visit will be an opportunity to build upon our Strategic Partnership that is based on shared belief in democracy and pluralism. I am also eagerly looking forward to meeting the Indian community and friends from Nigeria who have sent me warm welcome messages in Hindi,” the statement said.
PM Modi will be heading to Brazil for the 19th G20 Summit, scheduled to take place from November 18 to 19.
