President Bola Tinubu has landed in India for the G-20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi.
The President arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday after leaving Abuja on a special invitation from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The President arrived in the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi alongside some senior government officials, including ministers and presidential aides. He thereafter proceeded to a meeting with Mr. Gopichand Hinduja, the Chairman and CEO of the Hinduja Group of Companies, a conglomerate with a total asset portfolio exceeding $100 billion U.S. Dollars.
This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, saying the meeting began around 8:00 p.m. local time.
“We are here for business. I am here to personally assure our friends and investors that there is no bottleneck that I will not break. Nigeria will become one of the most conducive places on earth to make good profits and create lasting jobs,” Tinubu was quoted as saying.
“With my support, there is nothing standing in your way of enjoying the unrivalled opportunities presented by our massive market and the ingenious & hardworking nature of the Nigerian people. We are open for business.”
On his part, the Hinduja Group Chairman told the President that he was a living witness to his landmark effort as Governor of Lagos in turning a coastal erosion and water encroachment crisis into a massive free trade zone where industry now thrives. This, he said, was partially responsible for his excitement to partner with Nigeria’s new President to create win-win prosperity for Nigeria’s talented population.
“We believe in you as a leader who has done this before. You know what the challenges are. You know how to fix them. We are going to make investments into the billions of dollars under your leadership, because we see you are already addressing the systemic problems.
“I am ready now to sign an MoU and to begin execution. You tell me who to liase with and we will get to work immediately, particularly with respect to bus and automobile manufacturing in Nigeria, amongst other areas,” the industrialist said.
Responding, the Nigerian President said: “Ministers of Trade and Finance, the two of you will follow this up immediately and you will draw up the terms to the satisfaction of both parties. If there are any issues at all which require my intervention, they must be brought to my attention immediately.”
After the President assigned the task of concluding the agreement to the two Ministers in collaboration with Hinduja Group Executives, who were present in the room, the industrialist could not hide his excitement.
The President’s trip took place hours to a warning strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over palliatives to cushion the effect of the removal of petrol subsidy.
While away, the the Presidential Election Petition Court will also deliver judgments in the petitions by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) as well as their presidential candidates challenging the victory of Tinubu, the then candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February 25, 2023 poll.
At the G20 Summit, the Nigerian leader is expected to share Nigeria’s perspective on the theme, ‘One Earth-One Family-One Future’ with focus on global unity required to address the challenges facing humanity and the planet.
“While Nigeria’s membership of the G-20 is desirable, the government has embarked on wide-ranging consultations with a view to ascertaining the benefits and risks of membership.
“Once consultations are concluded, the government will decide whether or not to apply to join as appropriate. The participation of President Tinubu at the G-20 Summit in India is, in part, in furtherance of this objective,” his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, said in an earlier statement.
The President travelled to India alongside the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy Bosun Tijani; and Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite.
