President of Nigeria arrives

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JAN. 24. The Nigerian President, Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo, who arrived to a ceremonial welcome here today, will be the chief guest at the country's 50th Republic Day celebrations.

The familiarity of the Nigerian President, Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo, with India gives the Foreign Office reason to believe that there are immense opportunities of improving bilateral ties under a democratic dispensation in Nigeria. In addition, India is a major customer of Nigerian crude which is particularly suited for our refineries, and both countries have cooperated in key sectors like power, steel, refineries, telecom and railways. The past association of Indian PSUs will come in useful for Nigeria at this juncture because it is seeking to implement economic reforms and restructuring as well as a privatisation programme in phases.

Nigeria is India's second largest trading partner in Africa after South Africa but the last Nigerian President to have presided over a Republic Day parade was 17 years ago. ``For a country of this importance, high level interaction has been less than frequent,'' admitted a Foreign Office official.

President Obasanjo's familiarity with India is also evident from the three changes he sought in his itinerary. Visits to the offices of BHEL, TCIL and IRCON were included on his specific request, said the Foreign Office official. His recognition of Indian expertise in two areas - small scale industry and agriculture - should also open new vistas in these areas which reflect increasing Indian involvement on a pan- African scale. ``Across Africa, somehow the fact that 50 per cent of India's output is from small and medium enterprises makes a tremendous impact. It is the type of technology which can be absorbed in Africa,'' said the Foreign Office official.

Though many PSUs like HMT, TCIL, RITES, Petroleum India International and C-DoT are already involved in various phases in this West African nation, the private sector is also making its presence felt. Tata buses and trucks are already well known and Bajaj recently sold 5,000 two-wheelers.

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