Envoy calls for India, Nigeria inter-diaspora cooperation

Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria Mahesh Sachdev has said that cooperation among the diasporas of India and Nigeria could ultimately lead to intimate people-to-people ties between the two countries.

Sachdev told thousands of Nigerians living abroad who came to participate in the oil-rich country's Sixth Diaspora Day celebration in Abuja that the Asian and African countries have a lot in common.

"Indians have had their citizens taken away as indentured labourers to different countries while Nigerians were taken away as slaves," he said adding that the two countries have had to combat xenophobia, difficulty in assimilation and other challenges together.

He reminded participants that Nigeria is the only country that has participated in the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in the past two years.

Nigerian Vice President Namadi Sambo urged the diaspora Nigerians to emulate the giant strides of India and China whose citizens abroad have contributed immensely to national development.

He called for building of a diaspora village within the country's capital territory to encourage remittance and contribution to national development by citizens of the country living abroad.