G-20 Summit: Indian Community in Nigeria Applauds Modi’s Invitation to Tinubu

The Indian community in Nigeria has expressed its appreciation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for extending an invitation to President Bola Tinubu to participate in the ongoing G-20 Summit in New Delhi, India. Mr. Sanjay Srivastava, President of the Afro Asian Community Development (AACD), conveyed this sentiment in a statement. He also commended the efforts of Mr. Pravin Kumar, General Secretary of AACD, for attending the crucial meeting. Srivastava, who also holds the position of President of the People of Indian Origin Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Nigeria, praised Modi for including the African Union as a permanent member of the G-20. He considered this a significant step in the right direction, as it would empower Africans to offer lasting solutions to global economic challenges. In his view, this move would promote inclusivity and establish a fair and impartial global order, a concept highlighted by President Tinubu. Srivastava stated, “Considering that South Africa is currently the only African member of the group of the world’s 20 most industrialized nations, Nigeria’s inclusion will be highly beneficial. For us, Indians living in Nigeria, this is a welcome development as it will allow Nigerians and all other G-20 nations to share a promising future. This will enable Nigerians to play a vital role in contributing to shaping a more equitable world.” The invitation to President Tinubu for the G-20 Summit is seen as a positive step towards fostering international cooperation and inclusive global governance.

Tinubu attending G20 Summit in India to attract FDI – Presidency

President Bola Tinubu is attending the G20 Summit holding from September 9-10 in New Delhi, India to attract private capital for the development of the nation’s critical infrastructure, the Presidency has said. Mr. Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, who disclosed this at the weekend, said the summit was predicated on the urgent need to attract Foreign Direct Investment into the country. The Group of Twenty (G20) is the premier forum for international economic cooperation. It plays an important role in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues. Ngelale said that the president would focus attention on meetings with business executives of the world’s most valuable companies to discuss investment in the critical sectors of the economy for the creation of employment. “We are focused on engagements that will be dealing with critical sectors of the national economy, involving steel development, electricity generation, transmission and distribution, shipyard building capacity, and several other industries, which we know to be labour intensive. “Mr President will be hosting a CEO roundtable, which will be made up of more than 20 chief executive officers of major industries across multiple sectors of the Indian economy to ensure that we leverage on their interest in investing in the country. “In addition, there will be at least five meetings with the CEOs of five major industries in India, including Jindal Steel and Power Company, among a few others that would have a very important impact on our ability to develop the steel sector in our country,’’ Ngelale said. He said that Tinubu would also meet with the President of Brazil, President da Silva, German Chancellor Olaf Schultz, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and a few other heads of state on the sidelines of the G20. “The G20 is a major event for our country at this time and we are going to ensure that we take maximum advantage of the opportunities presented to bring value to the country. “To create jobs for our people and ultimately, to generate and expand existing revenues in the country to ensure the government can effectively fund and sponsor its programmes and policies across sectors. “When we arrive in India next week, there will be live updates from India, which I will be providing daily to ensure that Nigerians have full access into what our President is doing on their behalf,’’ he said.

Nigeria, India partner to block illicit drug flow

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and Narcotics Control Bureau of India have agreed to collaborate to block the traffic of illicit drugs between Nigeria and India. The Director Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, said in a statement that the two agencies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Wednesday in Abuja. He said the Chairman of NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, who signed the MoU on behalf of the agency, said the move represented a robust partnership in efforts to exterminate incidences of drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking in the two countries. He said, “this bold step taken by the two agencies is an affirmation of our foresight and commitment to the task of ensuring the safety of our citizens and the global community at large.” According to him, the MOU constitutes a fundamental step towards positioning the two countries, India and Nigeria, at the forefront of confronting and dismantling transnational drug trafficking networks. “This is with brazen capabilities of outmaneuvering legitimate drug law enforcement. “With our understanding of the changing dynamics of the illicit drug problems, locally and globally, every major organisation around the world is working assiduously to curb the menace. “They also know that working with partners greatly helps in addressing the trafficking and abuse of narcotic and psychotropic substances,” he said. Marwa said the governments of both countries remained committed to eradicating the problem posed by illicit substances, notably synthetic opioids and Amphetamine Type Stimulants (ATS) which posed a potent threat to our citizens. He acknowledged the courage exhibited by the two agencies in the course of past meetings that culminated in the MoU. The NDLEA boss stressed that the partnership would impact greatly on efforts to prevent illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, precursor chemicals and related matters between the two countries. The Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria and Head of the Indian delegation, Ambassador Shri Balasubramanian, signed on behalf of his country. Balasubramanian said the negative impact of drugs on global financial and political systems was enormous, and that proceeds of drug trafficking were often directed towards terrorism financing. The Indian high commissioner observed that drug trafficking did not only affect the health of the individual that consumed it but equally the economy of the country as well as national security. He advised that both countries should take advantage of their similar demographic advantage to address substance use problems. He added that the liberal trade relations and educational advantages enjoyed by both countries had been negatively applied to further criminal drug trade. “I urge that all hands must be on deck to ensure that merchants of death do not succeed in their evil trade,” he said. Balasubramanian pledged the commitment of the Indian government to ensure the enforcement of the provisions of the MoU.