Raksha Rajya Mantri holds bilateral meeting with Nigerian Minister of State, Defence in New Delhi

Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth held a bilateral meeting with Minister of State, Defence of Nigeria, Dr Bello Mohammed Matawalle, in New Delhi on August 12, 2025. The two Ministers discussed the way forward to further advance growing bilateral defence cooperation and military engagements across diverse domains. They deliberated upon the opportunities of collaboration in counter-terrorism training, research & development, maritime cooperation, including hydrography & anti-piracy, and industry cooperation.

Raksha Rajya Mantri highlighted the capability of the Indian defence industry to produce high-quality defence equipment such as Light Combat Aircraft, Light Combat Helicopter and Offshore Patrol Vessels. He assured full support to meet the requirements of the Nigerian side. The Indian delegation expressed readiness to welcome the team from the Defence Research and Development Bureau, Nigeria, to explore the area of joint R&D. The Nigerian Minister of State, Defence, invited the Indian delegation to visit the defence industry in Nigeria to explore the possibility of investment in the sector.

Dr Bello Mohammed Matawalle is leading a delegation on a visit to India from August 11-14, 2025. The Nigerian delegation also interacted with Indian defence industries during the visit.

India and Nigeria enjoy warm, friendly, age-old and deep-rooted relations. The defence relationship traces back to the early 1960s. India, as the largest democracy in the world and Nigeria, as the largest in Africa, have become natural partners.

Disclaimer: This is an official press release by Pib.