Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday attended the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect of Nigeria Bola Ahmed, held at Tinubu Eagle Square in Abuja. Mr. Singh is on a three-day go to to the West African nation, the first-ever by an Indian Defence Minister.

“India was among the select non-African nations that were represented in the ‘swearing-in ceremony’ at Ministerial level, reflecting the high priority and strength of India’s bilateral relations,” Mr. Singh stated on Twitter.

He additionally met the outgoing Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari throughout a reception hosted by him on May 28.

In addition to senior officers of Ministry of Defence, given the rising defence cooperation between India and Nigeria the Minister’s delegation to Nigeria included high executives of Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSU), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Goa Shipyard Limited.

“These executives held a series of meetings with Nigerian military and government representatives for identifying their requirements which can be fulfilled by the Indian defence companies. Business to business meetings were held with Nigerian companies for enhancing cooperation,” a Defence Ministry assertion stated.

Mr. Singh additionally had a short assembly with the Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperative of Bangladesh Md. Tazul Islam who was additionally in Abuja to attend the swearing-in ceremony.

Nigeria is house to an estimated 50,000 members of the Indian neighborhood. Mr. Singh is scheduled to fulfill the Indian diaspora at Abuja through the go to.