NEW DELHI: Nigeria is set to honour Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) award, making it 17th honour being bestowed upon him by a foreign country. Queen Elizabeth is the only foreign personality to have received this award in 1969. PM Modi reached on Sunday, marking the first visit by an Indian prime minister to the West African country in 17 years.

"Thank you, President Tinubu. Landed a short while ago in Nigeria. Grateful for the warm welcome.

May this visit deepen the bilateral friendship between our nations," PM Modi said in a post on X. India and Nigeria have been strategic partners since 2007, with expanding ties in economic, energy, and defense sectors. Over 200 Indian companies have invested more than $27 billion in key Nigerian industries, while the two nations also share a robust development cooperation partnership.

During his visit, the prime minister will engage in talks to review this strategic partnership and explore new opportunities to strengthen bilateral relations further..