Prime Minister Narendra Modi was warmly welcomed by the Indian community in Nigeria on Sunday in the first leg of his three-nation visit. He is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the West African country in 17 years. PM Modi addressed the Indian community in a program organized in the capital Abuja. He said, ‘This is my first visit to Nigeria as Prime Minister, but I have not come alone, I have brought with me the fragrance of the soil of India and on behalf of crores of Indians, I have brought many good wishes for all of you. You are happy with the progress of India and with your progress, the chest of every Indian becomes broad and mine becomes 56 inches.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the NRIs living in Nigeria, said, ‘The kind of welcome I received here is amazing. Some time ago, I was honored with the National Award of Nigeria. This is not just the honor of Modi, this is the honor of crores of people of India and this honor is of all of you. I humbly dedicate this honor to all of you. He said that today many Indian companies are giving strength to the entire economy of Nigeria. The Indian community is working shoulder to shoulder for the development of Nigeria and this is the great strength of the people of India. We may come to another country, but we do not forget our values for the welfare of all. For us the whole world is a family. PM Modi invited people of the Indian community living in Nigeria to visit Prayagraj Mahakumbh 2025 and Kashi.
India-Nigeria have the energy of demography: PM Modi
PM Modi said that Gandhiji had lived in Africa for a long time. He shared the joys and sorrows of the people of Africa. During that period of slavery, the people of India and Nigeria left no stone unturned for freedom and when India became independent, it also inspired the freedom movement of Nigeria. Today India and Nigeria are moving forward together like companions in the days of struggle. The Prime Minister said, ‘India is the MOTHER OF DEMOCRACY, while Nigeria is the biggest DEMOCRACY in Africa. Both our countries have similarity in democracy. We both countries have similarity in diversity. Both our countries have the energy of demography.
The Prime Minister said, ‘Today India is the fifth largest economy in the world and the day is not far when India will become a five trillion dollar economy. The long period of slavery had devastated our economy. Fighting the challenges, India’s economy has crossed the milestone of one trillion dollars in 6 decades. In the last decade, India added about 2 trillion dollars to its GDP. The size of India’s economy has doubled in a decade. Today there are more than 1.5 lakh startups registered in India. More than 100 unicorns have been created in the last decade. A unicorn means a company worth Rs 8,000-10,000 crore. More than 100 companies are a testament to the success of India’s startup culture.
India raises Africa’s voice at global forums: PM Modi
PM Modi said, ‘We were able to achieve this because India came out of its comfort zone. The world is praising India’s progress in the space industry. India has decided that soon Indians will be sent to space through its Gaganyaan. India is also going to build its own space station in space. Leaving the comfort zone and creating new paths has become second nature for India. In the last 10 years, 25 crore people have been brought out of poverty. In the past years, India has made every possible effort to raise the voice of Africa on global platforms. When India got the presidency of G20 for the first time, we made full efforts to make African Union a permanent member and India also got success in it.
He said, ‘India has emerged as a new hope for the world by becoming a symbol of development, peace, prosperity and democracy. Whenever any problem arises at the global level, India acts as a world friend or global friend and first extends a helping hand. During the Covid-19 pandemic, when countries around the world were in dire need of vaccines, India took the initiative to provide vaccines to as many countries as possible. After Nigeria, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also visit Brazil and Guyana. He will participate in the G20 summit in Brazil as a Troika member. He is visiting Guyana at the invitation of President Mohammed Irfan Ali, which is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in more than 50 years. In Guyana, PM Modi will participate in the second India-CARICOM summit with the leaders of Caribbean countries.
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