GANDHINAGAR, GUJARAT – On July 30, 2025, Geoffrey Onyeama, a former Nigerian foreign minister, met with Bhupendra Patel, the chief minister of Gujarat, during his trip to India. Onyeama praised Gujarat’s excellent growth and the important role that the Gujarati diaspora has played in Nigeria’s economic and social advancement. He was hopeful that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will help India and Nigeria get along better.
Onyeama is in India with his wife as part of the Ministry of External Affairs’ Indian Culture Immersion Programme. He lauded Gujarat’s quick progress and its efforts to protect its cultural legacy during their meeting in Gandhinagar. He notably mentioned how important the Gujarati community has been to Nigeria’s growth. Onyeama also praised Gujarat’s efforts to give Nigerian students greater chances to go to college, saying that this makes the links between the two countries stronger.
Building up economic and bilateral ties
In response, Chief Minister Patel stressed how Nigeria’s participation in the G-20 Summit under India’s presidency had a good effect on India-Nigeria relations. He said this was because PM Modi’s vision of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (the world is one family) was open to everyone. Patel also told Nigeria that Gujarat was keen to work with them in several areas, such as commerce, industry, and investment. This showed that the state was serious about building strong economic partnerships.
Onyeama’s schedule for his trip to Gujarat includes visits to the famous Statue of Unity and Maharaja Sayajirao University in Vadodara. On Thursday, July 31, he will also visit the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) and Gujarat Technological University (GTU). This shows that he is very interested in how Gujarat is improving its education and technology.
M.K. Das, the Chief Minister’s Additional Chief Secretary; Mamta Verma, the Principal Secretary of Industries; P. Swaroop, the Industries Commissioner; and Keyur Sampat, the Managing Director of INDEXTb were all there.
A Partnership Based on Common Values
The Ministry of External Affairs says that India and Nigeria have “warm, friendly, and deep-rooted bilateral relations.” Both countries are huge, emerging democracies with societies that are diverse in terms of religion, ethnicity, and language. India is the world’s greatest democracy, while Nigeria is the largest democracy in Africa. This makes them “natural partners.” As of 2024, the two countries traded more than $14 billion a year, with India being one of Nigeria’s biggest trading partners. India mostly imports crude oil and liquefied natural gas from Nigeria. Indian businesses have also put a lot of money into several different areas in Nigeria.