Nigeria, India Set to Sign Air Service Agreement

Nigeria and India are set to sign Bilateral Air Services
Agreement (BASA) before the end of January that would enable direct
flights between the two countries, the Indian High Commissioner to
Nigeria, Mr Abhay Thakur, has said.

Thakur said this to newsmen at an event to commemorate the World
Hindi Day and Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Abuja on Wednesday
night.

The high commissioner said that the BASA was part of pending
agreements to be signed between both countries.

According to him, the agreement will be signed when Nigeria’s
Aviation Minister of State, Mr Hadi Sirika, visits India.

“We look forward to signing an air services agreement between
India and Nigeria next week, during the visit of Honourable
Minister of State for Aviation to India.

“A look at the air transportation services indicates that there
are about four indirect flights between India and Nigeria daily,
via Dubai, Ethiopia. So, there is a huge opportunity herein and it
is something that needs to be addressed urgently.

“We hope that with the growth of Nigeria’s aviation sector, we
would be able to find (Nigerian) partners immediately after the
signing of the aviation services agreement.

“Either on their own, or on a co-shared basis to operationalise
the agreement and commence direct flights,” Thakur said.

He also said that both countries would conclude negotiations on
the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement by the end of January and
the agreements would boost trade and investment cooperation between
them.

Thakur, who is newly appointed, presented copies of his
credentials to the Acting Chief of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Mr Mohammed Maidugu, on January 4, when he assumed office
in Abuja.

He said that he would focus on strengthening the development
partnership between both countries by identifying projects that
could access funds made available by the Indian Government for
Africa.

He said: “We are looking forward to greater development
assistance through some very useful and successful India
development cooperation models.

“Particularly, soft line credit, which enables Nigeria to access
India loan facility at a concessional rate of 1.75 per cent.

“We need to work harder, identify projects within ICT, naval
requirements, in railways, and pharmaceutical among others.

“We need to work and operationalise through a high level of cost
arrangement between the two governments to enable this development
funding to be utilised.”

He further expressed optimism in the contributions of Indian
companies to the development of both economies.

“Indian companies are the highest foreign employers of labour in
Nigeria. We hope to expand in that direction as much as possible,”
he said.

The event, which marked Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, is a day
celebrated to strengthen the engagement of the overseas Indian
community with the Government of India and reconnect them with
their roots.

According to him, about 50,000 Indians are currently living in
Nigeria.

The event also celebrated the contributions of Indians in
diaspora to India’s development and to their host nations’
economy.

The high commissioner commended is citizens globally for
remitting about $70 billion annually to India, adding that the
country represented the second largest number of Diasporas
globally, totalling 20 million people.

He said the day represented the return of freedom movement
leader, Mahatma Gandhi, from South Africa, whom he described as the
first Indian in Diaspora.

Highlights of the event included presentation of awards to some
Hindi-speaking Nigerians for their performance of the late Gandhi’s
favourite bhajan (Hindu devotional) song, Vaish Nau Jan To.

Awards were also presented to several Indians for their
exemplary promotion of Hindi language in Nigeria.

Also, former President of India Cultural Association and
long-time resident in Nigeria, Mr Ray Chaudhary, commended Indians
in Diaspora for their contributions and charged them to uphold the
principles and ideology of their nation. (NAN)