Nigeria, Türkiye Engagement Shows Tinubu’s Commitment To End Terrorism — Minister

The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (Rtd), has said Nigeria’s recent engagement with the Republic of Türkiye demonstrated President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to decisively confront terrorism.

He stated this while commenting on the significance of the visit to Türkiye, noting that the engagements reflected the President’s clear directive to decisively confront Nigeria’s security challenges.

According to Gen. Musa, “This administration is committed to equipping the Armed Forces with the right capabilities, partnerships, and technologies required to defeat terrorism, banditry, and other threats to our national stability. Our engagements in Türkiye are practical steps toward strengthening our operational effectiveness and self-reliance.”

A statement by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Spokesman, Air Cdre Ehimen Ejodame, said the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, and the Minister of Defence, accompanied the President President Bola Tinubu on the high-level official working visit to Ankara, Republic of Türkiye.

He said the strategic visit, which commenced on January 26, 2026, underscored the resolve of the Federal Government to proactively strengthen Nigeria’s defence posture, deepen international partnerships, and accelerate defence modernisation in line with the evolving security environment.

He noted that President Tinubu engaged his Turkish counterpart in focused bilateral discussions aimed at translating shared interests into tangible outcomes.

“These engagements culminated in the signing of nine (9) Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) spanning defence, trade, education, media, technology, and allied sectors.

“The agreements mark a significant step toward actionable cooperation, reinforcing Nigeria’s access to advanced technologies, structured skills transfer, and institutional frameworks that support long-term national security and development objectives,” he said.

According to the statement, the CAS and the Minister in furtherance of defence and air power cooperation visited key pillars of Türkiye’s defence industry, ASELSAN, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), and HAVELSAN, operating under the Secretariat of Defence of Türkiye, alongside several high-level bilateral defence meetings.

He said, “These engagements enabled the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to review existing procurement arrangements focusing on optimising the procurement programmes, enhancing sustainment and maintenance support, expanding training opportunities, advancing research and development, and deepening indigenous capacity building for the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN).

“The visit holds direct operational benefits to enhance NAF ongoing operational efforts, particularly in the fight against terrorism, banditry, insurgency, and other asymmetric threats.”

The statement added that the Air Chief’s objectives were geared towards strengthening access to advanced aerospace technologies, mission-support systems, and sustainment solutions.

“The engagements are expected to further enhance intelligence, surveillance, precision engagement, and close air support capabilities critical to joint operations across theatres,” he added.

The NAF Spokesman reiterated that the outcomes aligned squarely with the CAS’s mission objective of building a more agile, lethal, and technology-driven Air Force.

The Air Chief, therefore, reaffirmed the NAF’s unwavering commitment to national security.
He said: “the Nigerian Air Force remains resolute in delivering smarter air power for safer communities. This strategic engagement reinforces our capacity to support ground forces more effectively, dominate the air domain, and decisively degrade threats confronting our nation.”

The CAS assured Nigerians that the combined resolve of the President, the Ministry of Defence, and the Armed Forces will continue to translate into improved security, enabling economic growth, stability, and sustainable national development.