Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh will visit Nigeria from May 28 to 30, 2023, to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President-elect of the West African nation. This will be the first-ever visit of an Indian Defence Minister to Nigeria. Senior officials of the Ministry of Defence and top leadership of significant defence PSUs will accompany the defence ministry on his visit to identify systems and platforms from the Indian defence sector that can cater to Nigeria’s needs.
The visit comes at a time when Nigeria, in the last couple of years, has been entwined in closer ties with India’s geopolitical rivals like Turkey, Pakistan, and China. Last year, Nigeria signed a deal for six TAI T-129, licensed produced versions of the AgustaWestland A129 attack helicopter from Turkey. Nigeria already operates the JF17, a leading rival aircraft of Tejas in the export market, and the Nigerian Air Force also comprises other Chinese assets. The JF17, originally the FC-1 Xiaolong, is called the pride of Pakistan’s aeronautical complex. However, the jets it delivered to Myanmar around 2018, according to reports, are said to have been grounded.
Image: Hindustan aeronautics limited
This brings forth the opportunity for India to present the Tejas and other combat platforms. In recent years, the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) has been in the spotlight for export to Nigeria. The visit might rekindle interest, and the deal might materialise in the future, making it the first export of LCH to an African nation. “We are in talks with certain countries in Africa who have shown interest in the LCH. With great value for money, the helicopter is an attractive buy for many countries,” said a senior defence official to PTI, back in 2016. India has already exported its advanced light utility helicopter, HAL Dhruv, to countries across three continents and has demonstrated its dexterity in the helicopter manufacturing sector, both in armed and utility variants, in the last decade.
