Nigeria and Turkey have signed nine agreements to strengthen bilateral ties as part of President Bola Tinubu’s ongoing state visit to the Middle Eastern country.
Tinubu signed the agreements alongside Turkish President Recep Erdoğan and ministers from both countries after concluding a bilateral meeting in Ankara.
Olusegun Dada, Tinubu’s special assistant on social media, confirmed that nine agreements were exchanged.
They include agreement on cooperation in the field of diaspora policy; agreement on defence cooperation; a joint declaration establishing the economy and trade joint committee (JETCO); agreement in the field of halal quality infrastructure; and cooperation in the field of higher education.
Others are cooperation in the field of media and communication; cooperation in the field of education; cooperation between Turkey’s ministry of foreign affairs and diplomacy academy, and Nigeria’s foreign ministry and foreign affairs academy; and cooperation between Turkey’s ministry of social services and Nigeria’s ministry of women affairs and social development.
According to Turkish media, the communications agreement facilitates the exchange of information, expertise, and best practices between the two countries.
It also provides for organising joint seminars, workshops, training programmes, and reciprocal visits for officials and experts in the broadcasting and communication sectors. The agreement is valid for three years.
On trade, Erdoğan said his country is committed to meeting a $5 billion trade volume target with Nigeria.
The president spoke in a joint press conference with Tinubu, adding that discussions on the deal have already commenced.
Tinubu stumbles during reception in Türkiye
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday briefly stumbled during a ceremonial march-past organised for his reception at the parade ground in Türkiye.
The incident occurred as the President joined the guard of honour, drawing momentary attention before the programme continued without disruption.
A video posted on X by Turkish digital news platform Nefes Gazetesi shows Tinubu walking alongside his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, before he stumbled to the ground.
He was quickly assisted by the Secret Service.
Tuesday’s reception commenced at about 5:00 pm local time with the simultaneous playing of the national anthems of both nations and a ceremonial 21-gun salute.
Following the completion of the ceremonial formalities, both leaders withdrew into a closed-door bilateral meeting, where discussions on matters of strategic national importance were expected to hold.
It is Tinubu’s first official visit to the European nation, a reciprocal engagement following Erdoğan’s visit to Nigeria in October 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Tinubu’s visit aims to consolidate the long-standing cordial relations between Nigeria and Türkiye, while exploring new areas of cooperation to deepen a mutually beneficial partnership between the two countries.
The President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement on Sunday that both countries will engage in strategic political and diplomatic discussions on shared values in finance, communication, trade, and investment during the visit.
Onanuga said the agenda will include meetings between high-ranking officials of both nations and the signing of memoranda of understanding in scientific research, energy, technical cooperation, media and communications, military cooperation, and protocol, among others.
A business forum is expected to be held on the sidelines of the visit to connect Nigerian and Turkish investors and unlock opportunities for mutual economic growth.
Senior Nigerian officials who received the President at his hotel include the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN; the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake; and the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd).
