Indian Envoy: Security Situation Closely Monitored in Nigeria

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gangadharan Balasubramanian, has said the Indian Government was still closely monitoring the security situation in Nigeria before a decision would be made on closing its embassy in the country.

The envoy said this yesterday in Abuja during the celebration of the Indian National Unity Day

Both the United States and the United Kingdom government had issued a security alert on Nigeria with some other embassies temporarily closing down in the country.

But the Indian envoy said, “Security is certainly paramount and we have taken certain precautions and embraced the inputs that have been received generally from the government.

“So, we have not shut down our things, we’ll continue to work, but taking precautions as security is paramount for Indian nationals and people who are working over here.”

Balasubramanian, on assistance of his country to Nigeria in the area of security, said security was an internal matter for training and capacity building.

He, however, said his country was always ready and had always been providing such training, including on the security side to Nigerian nationals and would continue to do so.

He noted that India-Nigeria relations were quite strong, with 64 years of cooperation between both countries, dating back to 1958.

He revealed that the latest in the bilateral relations between India and Nigeria was the invitation extended to the country to be a guest country for the G20 events, where India would be assuming the presidency on December 1, 2022.