The Nigerian Air Force has said the Chief of Air staff, Air Marshal Sunday accompanied President Tinubu and Minister of Defence (HMOD), General Christopher Gwabin Musa, to Turkiye as parts of operational efforts, particularly in the fight against terrorism, banditry, insurgency, and other asymmetric threats.
Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, Director of Public Relations and Information, Headquarters, Nigerian Air Force, in a statement said the personalities who were on a high-level official working visit to Ankara, Republic of Türkiye, underscores 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.
At the diplomatic level, President Tinubu engaged his Turkish counterpart in focused bilateral discussions aimed at translating shared interests into tangible outcomes, adding that these engagements culminated in the signing of nine (9) Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) spanning defence, trade, education, media, technology, and allied sectors.
According to the statement, 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.
Speaking on the significance of the visit, the Honourable Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, noted that the engagements reflect the President’s clear directive to decisively confront Nigeria’s security challenges, adding that, “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.”
In furtherance of defence and air power cooperation, the CAS and the HMOD 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.
It 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).john