Editorial 1 : Building on goodwill
Introduction: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Federal Republic of Nigeria on November 16-17. The last visit of an Indian PM to Nigeria was of Manmohan Singh in 2007. Before that, Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited the country in 2003. The first ever Indian Prime Ministerial visit to the country was by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962. Between 1983 and 2023, India has hosted seven Nigerian presidents.
PM Modi’s Visit to Nigeria
- PM Modi met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
- A delegation-level meeting was also held.
- PM Modi addressed and interacted with the Indian community in the Nigerian capital.
- Three Memorandums of Understanding were signed during the visit.
Special Honor to PM Modi
- PM Modi was awarded Nigeria’s national honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger.
- Notably, the only other recipient of this honour is the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Historical Ties Between India and Nigeria
- First High-Level Interaction (1962):
- Jawaharlal Nehru met Abubakar Tafawa Balewa in Lagos, marking Nigeria's first major international engagement after independence.
- Discussions emphasized India’s assistance in healthcare, education, infrastructure, and governance.
- Indian Support Post-1962:
- Tens of thousands of Indian experts were deployed in Nigeria by the late 1960s.
- Areas of contribution included teaching, healthcare, civil service training, and infrastructure development.
- Goodwill in Nigeria:
- Indian teachers, doctors, movies, and products left a significant cultural and developmental impact, as noted by Nigerian leaders.
Current Context of relationship and Opportunities
- Demographics of Nigeria
- Nigeria has 233 million people, with a median age of 19.3 years.
- The focus remains on youth health, education, and employment opportunities.
- Trade and Investment:
- India was historically Nigeria’s largest trading partner in Africa.
- Decline in trade recently due to India’s shift towards cheaper Russian crude oil.
- Indian investment in Nigeria totals $27 billion, with scope for expansion.
- Indian Companies in Nigeria: Around 200 Indian companies operate in Nigeria, employing a significant workforce.
Defence Cooperation
- Military Training History: The Indian Army established Nigeria’s National Defence Academy in Kaduna (1964). Indian instructors were present until the late 1970s.
- Indian-Trained Nigerian Personnel: Approximately 27,500 Nigerians trained in India, including military personnel. Alumni include prominent leaders like Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari.
- Training Opportunities: India provides 250 civilian and 250 defence slots under ITEC annually. Seats at premier Indian defence institutions are limited but impactful.
Healthcare and Education Opportunities
- Medical Tourism:
- India is a top destination for Nigerians seeking medical care.
- Benefits include skilled doctors, advanced hospitals, and affordable treatment.
- Restored air travel between the countries has eased logistics.
- Potential Expansion of healthcare cooperation
- Indian companies could establish hospitals and wellness centres in Nigeria.
- Serious patients could be referred to India, reducing logistical burdens.
- Education: Strong potential for collaboration in higher education and vocational training.
Strategic Defence Partnerships
- Nigeria’s Defence Needs:
- Nigeria, with Africa’s fourth-largest standing army, has been combating the Boko Haram insurgency for nearly two decades.
- Nigeria seeks India’s expertise and military equipment for effective counter-insurgency efforts.
- Expansion of Training Seats: Increasing Nigerian seats at Indian defence institutions is a potential area for strengthening ties.
Conclusion: The PM’s recent visit underscores a strong partnership with opportunities in trade, defence, healthcare, and education, bolstered by new MoUs. Establishing an India-Nigeria Business Council, comprising top business leaders from both nations, could further enhance mutually beneficial trade and investment ties.
Editorial 2 : Apathy in the air
Introduction: Delhi’s never-ending troubles with air pollution invite two questions. Is the problem really as intractable as it has been made to appear by policymakers? Or, is poor policy at the root of the crisis? The answers to this question will solve the larger mystery of why there is such an apathy about pollution crisis in Delhi and India.
The causes of pollution
- There can be no denying that the city’s air quality is a product of the complex interplay of several variables — particulate matter from tailpipe of vehicles, toxins from waste and biomass burning, industrial emissions, the city’s geography and farm fires in neighbouring states.
Working in silos will not help
- The problem cannot be resolved by working in silos.
- However, this fundamental policy requirement seems to have become an alibi for inaction, especially by the Delhi government and the Centre.
- Every winter sees the constant tussle between Delhi government and Union government, which subsides as the winter dampens on air pollution issue.
The “severe” pollution level and a patchwork solution
- Almost every year, as people in the capital and its vicinity choke on air that would be deemed hazardous by the WHO.
- The Supreme Court has issued strict directions to the Centre and the Delhi government.
- However, by now it should be clear that the emergency mode offers, at best, a limited solution.
- Cleaning Delhi’s air and that of other Indian cities requires all-year-round action.
Study points different causes of pollution and potential solutions
- There is now considerable information on the variables linked to the capital’s pollution.
- Studies by the Centre for Science and Environment, IIT Delhi and Kanpur, TERI, the National Institute of Advanced Studies and government agencies such as the CPCB have disaggregated the role of different polluting sources.
- Research organisations have sometimes differed on the share of these pollutants.
- There might also be variations at different locations in the city, and in the daily, weekly or monthly averages, but the major sources of pollution are now well identified.
- Most studies have underlined the need for cleaner modes of commuting, increased use of public transport, greater scrutiny over industrial emissions, and incentivising households to transition to green cooking fuels.
- Some of these solutions require long-term action, while others can be achieved in a year or two.
- But information is only an enabler — it’s meant to facilitate action.
- Despite all the attention that Delhi’s smog has got, there is no trend in air quality which shows that efforts are being made to tackle the problem over the long term or even the short term.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)
- In 2021, the Centre set up the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to coordinate the work of different pollution control bodies.
- The organisation’s mandate was prescient given that experts today underline the salience of the airshed approach instead of looking at pollution as a city or state-level problem, policymakers need to identify larger hotspots of poor air.
- But in the past three years, the CAQM has mostly functioned as a regulator that comes into play when Delhi’s Emergency Graded Action Plan is in force.
- The policy-making deficit is also a fallout of a larger shortcoming: Despite the toll it takes, Delhi’s bad air is never an election issue.
- This apathy must end.
Conclusion: Policy makers in India tend to act only when issues become subjects of intense public debate and electoral significance. Therefore, to effectively tackle Delhi’s air pollution, the problem must become a key election issue. Additionally, establishing clear accountability for policy failures is essential to develop a strong air pollution control framework.