Türkiye pledges support for Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has assured Nigeria of his country’s support in the fight against terrorism, expressing readiness to deepen cooperation in military training, intelligence sharing and defence collaboration.

Erdoğan made the pledge on Tuesday while addressing a joint press conference with President Bola Tinubu during the Nigerian leader’s official visit to Ankara, Türkiye’s capital.

According to a statement by President Tinubu’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, the Turkish leader said Nigeria, under Tinubu’s leadership, was taking decisive steps to confront terrorism, adding that Türkiye stood firmly with the Nigerian people in the struggle.

“We are ready to share Türkiye’s significant experience in counterterrorism,” Erdoğan was quoted as saying.

He warned that terrorist groups, particularly those operating across Africa’s Sahel region, pose a serious threat to the stability of the continent and require coordinated international action.

During the visit, Nigerian officials also held meetings with leading Turkish defence industry firms, with both sides expressing optimism that the engagements would yield positive outcomes.

Erdoğan disclosed that both countries reviewed opportunities for closer cooperation in the defence sector, especially in capacity building and security infrastructure.

On economic relations, the Turkish president said Nigeria and Türkiye reaffirmed their target of achieving a $5 billion bilateral trade volume. He noted that both leaders discussed concrete steps required to meet the target and welcomed the establishment of the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) to drive the process.

Erdoğan said President Tinubu’s visit reflected Nigeria’s strong political will to deepen economic and trade relations with Türkiye.

He added that Türkiye supports increased investments in Nigeria and welcomes cooperation between the Turkish Petroleum Corporation, BOTAS, and Nigerian energy firms, citing Nigeria’s potential as Africa’s largest oil and gas producer.

According to him, Nigeria occupies a strategic position in the restructuring of Africa’s energy economy, noting that Türkiye is keen to strengthen partnerships in the sector.

Nigeria has battled insurgency and terrorism for over a decade, with thousands of lives lost and millions displaced.

President Tinubu departed Abuja on Monday for the state visit, aimed at strengthening existing bilateral relations and expanding cooperation in security, education, innovation, social development and aviation.