Nigeria, Türkiye Deepen Ties as Tuggar Meets Turkish Foreign Minister in Ankara

By Iyojo Ameh

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has held high-level bilateral talks with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, in Ankara, ahead of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s forthcoming State Visit to Türkiye.

The meeting, which took place on Monday, marked Tuggar’s first official visit to Türkiye and focused on strengthening political, economic, security, and multilateral cooperation between both countries.

During the discussions, Minister Fidan commended Nigeria for its constructive role in promoting regional stability, peace, and prosperity in West Africa, highlighting the country’s leadership within regional and continental frameworks.

Ambassador Tuggar underscored Nigeria’s priority of expanding bilateral trade and boosting mutual investment, particularly in sectors of interest to Turkish businesses, including construction, manufacturing, energy, and infrastructure.

Both ministers acknowledged the steady growth in economic relations and stressed the need to unlock further potential through structured public–private sector engagement.

On security matters, the two sides explored opportunities to deepen collaboration in military affairs and the defence industry, reflecting shared strategic interests.

The talks reaffirmed the growing strategic character of Nigeria–Türkiye relations, anchored on shared positions on sovereignty, institutional cooperation, and pragmatic partnership. Both countries expressed confidence in the prospects for deeper engagement in the period ahead.

Nigeria and Türkiye established diplomatic relations in 1960, with bilateral ties expanding notably in recent years across trade, defence, education, aviation, and development cooperation. Türkiye has become one of Nigeria’s important strategic partners, with Turkish firms actively involved in construction, power, transportation, and manufacturing sectors.

Trade and investment relations have been strengthened by direct air links, rising commercial exchanges, and increasing Turkish investments in Nigeria. Security cooperation has also grown, particularly in defence training, counter-terrorism, and defence industry collaboration.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s anticipated State Visit to Türkiye is expected to consolidate existing partnerships, strengthen institutional frameworks, and unlock new opportunities for strategic and economic cooperation between the two countries.