Delegates from India recently paid a visit to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Edmund Daukoru to conclude talks on bilateral co-operation between the two countries.

Welcoming the delegates, Dr Daukoru said that the co-operation was necessitated by the basic needs of both countries. He said that India was in need of energy sources for the development of its economy while Nigeria needed skills and capital to help in its developmental efforts. According to him, the co-operation would be cross sectoral, as it would involve other sectors of the economy.

Responding, the leader of the Indian delegation, Mr Talmeez Ahmed, who is the Additional Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum in that country, said that his team has had a constructive interaction with the Nigerian delegation when it first visited India and in Johannesburg, South Africa, at the 18th World Petroleum Congress. He added that he believed that the two countries were engaged in an integrated approach to bilateral co-operation.

He also maintained that his country was primarily interested in the hydrocarbon sector, adding that a holistic approach need to be evolved, power and agricultural sectors of both countries.

The occasion witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Bilateral Co-operation between Nigeria and India.

The signing of the MoU came after the plenary meeting held by officials of both countries in Abuja recently.

Dr Edmund Daukoru, signed the agreement on behalf of Nigeria while the leader of the Indian delegation Mr Talmeez Ahmed signed on behalf of the Indian government.

The MoU is expected to take care of the basic needs of both countries in terms of energy, skills and capital acquisition.