Vice President Kashim Shettima has returned to Nigeria after representing President Bola Tinubu at the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, India, where he held high-level talks aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s economic and diplomatic ties with India and other BRICS members and partners.
Shettima’s return on Tuesday followed his participation in the summit’s high-level sessions and a series of bilateral engagements focused on trade, investment, energy, technology, healthcare and other strategic sectors.
A major highlight of his visit was his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during which both leaders discussed efforts to revive bilateral trade, including renewed Indian purchases of Nigerian crude oil.
The meeting came against the backdrop of a significant decline in trade between the two countries. Bilateral trade, which reached about $14.95 billion in the 2021–2022 financial year, fell to $7.13 billion in 2024–2025 before recovering to about $9 billion in 2025–2026.
Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Abhishek Singh, had disclosed the figures, attributing much of the decline to reduced Indian purchases of Nigerian crude.
Modi consequently pushed for renewed crude purchases from Nigeria, arguing that stronger energy cooperation could help restore bilateral commercial exchanges to previous levels.
Responding, Shettima said Nigeria would consider the request as part of the Tinubu administration’s broader efforts to attract investment and build strategic partnerships capable of expanding the country’s productive capacity.
The Vice President, however, stressed that Nigeria wanted to move beyond a relationship centred largely on commodity exchanges.
He identified pharmaceuticals, defence, digital technology and the creative industries as priority areas, noting that partnerships with India should create jobs, facilitate skills and technology transfer and expand opportunities for Nigeria’s youthful population.