Abuja [Nigeria], November 17 : The Indian diaspora in Nigeria warmly welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday as he landed in the country for his state visit.
The visit by PM Modi is the first by a Prime Minister of India to Nigeria in 17 years.
"From the Indian diaspora, we welcome PM Modi here. PM Narendra Modi is the person who has transformed India from a defence importer to an exporter. The Indian community here has a lot of expectations from him, whether it is oil and gas sector, defence or pharmaceutical industry," said Dhiren Singh Chouhan.
Another diaspora member said that he is "very fortunate" to see the PM, "This is a golden moment for us...we are very fortunate to see our PM. It makes me proud of the image PM Narendra Modi has built for himself and our country... He considers the world as his family and that is why he has been honoured with the highest civilian award of Nigeria."
PM Modi was honoured with the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). This makes PM Modi the second foreign dignitary to receive this honour. Queen Elizabeth is the only other foreign dignitary who was awarded the GCON, in 1969.
A third diaspora member said that PM Modi will address the community later on.
"We are very fortunate that we got to meet PM Narendra Modi here in Nigeria. The Indian diaspora is very happy. We are having another community address which will be a big celebration for us," said the Indian community member.
The visit by PM Modi is the first by a Prime Minister of India to Nigeria in 17 years.
PM Modi is on a three-nation tour to Nigeria, Brazil and Guyana scheduled from November 17 to November 21.
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