Nigeria on Sunday conferred the national honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his first official visit to the country while underlining that India has consolidated its position as a global power under the visionary leadership of PM Modi.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu honoured PM Modi after their bilateral meeting held at Abuja's Aso Rock Villa which serves as the office and residence of the Nigerian Presidency.
The citation further states that under PM's visionary leadership, India has been placed on the world map as a powerhouse. And indeed his transformational governance has ensured that unity, peace, and inclusive prosperity abound all around.
On his part, PM Modi thanked President Tinubu and the people of Nigeria for honoring him. He dedicated this honor to the people of India and to the longstanding friendship between India and Nigeria. PM Modi said, "Honored to have been conferred with the award of 'Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger' by Nigeria. Accept it with great humility and dedicate it to the people of India.".
This award is the first bestowed on a foreign leader since 1969 when Queen Elizabeth received Nigeria's highest national honour. "Nigeria values its excellent relationship with India, and we work to deepen and broaden the same to the mutual benefit of our two friendly countries. You represent a very strong commitment in democratic values and norms.".
"You have been doing a good job historically, winning three consecutive elections in a complex society is a feat that we respect so much," he said. "I will confer on you today, the Prime Minister of India, Nigeria's National Honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger. This to signify Nigerian appreciation and commitment to India as a partner," he added.
The Dominica government had last week declared its highest national honor, the 'Dominica Award of Honour,' for PM Modi to acknowledge his critical support during the Covid-19 pandemic and his commitment to fostering India-Dominica relations. Dominica President Sylvanie Burton will hand over the award during the India-CARICOM Summit in Guyana, which Prime Minister Modi will personally attend next week after the completion of his engagements at the G20 Summit at Rio de Janeiro.
That will take the civilian honours received by PM Modi to a record 17, underlining leadership and India's increasing stature globally.
It is also a reflection of India’s strengthened diplomatic relationships and the country’s expanding influence. PM Modi was also conferred upon the highest civilian honours in Saudi Arabia (King Abdulaziz Sash, 2016), Afghanistan (State Order of Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan, 2016), Palestine (Grand Collar of the State of Palestine Award, 2018), UAE (Order of Zayed Award, 2019), Russia (Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, 2019 – received by PM Modi in July 2024), Maldives (Order of the Distinguished Rule of Nishan Izzuddin, 2019), Bahrain (King Hamad Order of the Renaissance, 2019), US (Legion of Merit by the US Armed Forces in 2020), Bhutan (Order of the Druk Gyalpo, 2021) Papua New Guinea (Ebakl Award, 2023), Fiji (Companion of the Order of Fiji, 2023), Papua New Guinea (Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu, 2023), Egypt (Order of Nile, 2023), France (Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, 2023), Greece (Grand Cross of the Order of Honour, 2023).
Apart from these highest civilian honours, PM Modi has been conferred with many of the world's prestigious awards from renowned global organisations. For his exceptional contribution toward global harmony and world peace, he was conferred with the prestigious Seoul Peace Prize by Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation in 2018, among which he is well recognized.
In the same year, PM Modi was also so recognized by the United Nations with its highest environmental accolade, the Champions of The Earth Award, for bold environmental leadership. In 2019, PM Modi received the first-ever Philip Kotler Presidential Award, annually conferred upon leaders who demonstrate outstanding national leadership.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has honored the PM in 2019 with the Global Goalkeeper Award for efforts that changed India's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan into a movement for cleanliness. In 2021, the Prime Minister was Global Energy and Environment Leadership, as bestowed by Cambridge Energy Research Associates, CERA, as it views him as the world leader in energy and environmental sustainability.
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