Defence Min Rajnath Singh to visit Nigeria from May 28-30; to boost Defence ties

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.

Nigeria has been relatively successful in employing the Chinese-origin Pride of Pakistan for ground missions, mostly to track and bomb Boko Haram insurgents. It has seen little air-to-air combat or performed interception roles. Its Klimov 93D engine, a derivative of the RD 33 engine, has been found to be subpar by the Russians, while the Chinese selected this particular engine for Pakistan. The engine emits thick black smoke, which other aircraft in an active combat situation can spot from miles away. The JF17's engine does not produce enough thrust for the aircraft to be manoeuvrable during combat situations, even without carrying any weapons. It requires significant maintenance and can be a real hassle. This might be the reason why Myanmar refused to use them in their JF17, resulting in those planes being grounded.

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.

Following the meeting, Raksha Mantri will address the Indian Diaspora in Abuja. Nigeria is home to an estimated 50,000 members of the Indian community, and this meeting aims to rejuvenate India-Nigeria ties to new heights.