Nigeria and Turkiye Form A Strategic Defence Partnership At Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026

The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Retd.), led a high-level Nigerian delegation to fruitful bilateral talks with the Turkish Minister of Defence at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026.

The delegation included the Chief of the Air Staff, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Nigerian Embassy, the Defence Adviser, and senior officials from the Ministry of Defence and the Nigerian Embassy in Türkiye.

The meeting reaffirmed the longstanding and mutually beneficial relationship between Nigeria and Türkiye. It yielded a series of practical, outcomes-focused agreements aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s defence capabilities and supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

A statement signed by Queeneth Iheoma-Hart, Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Director of Information and Public Relations, stated that key outcomes and areas of cooperation are as follows:

Training and capacity development: Türkiye proposed structured, scalable training programmes for Nigerian armed forces in areas including Special Forces operations, counterterrorism, intelligence integration, counter-drone and counter-IED operations, and UN pre-deployment training.

Immediate deployment of an initial cohort to Türkiye was agreed, alongside Turkish-language participation in field training exercises.

Both parties agreed to establish a major military training facility in Nigeria as a long-term centre of excellence; Nigeria will provide a temporary training site and has identified a suitable coastal location for permanent infrastructure.

The second area is the defence industry and technology transfer: Both sides are committed to partnerships that include technology transfer, maintenance training, and co-development opportunities, leveraging platforms such as IDEF 2026 to deepen institutional links and promote indigenous capability building.

Thirdly, both countries also agreed on operational support and equipment: "Türkiye expressed readiness to support Nigeria with advanced surveillance, unmanned aerial platforms, satellite-enabled monitoring, counter-drone and counter-IED systems, and specialised air and ground platforms including infantry fighting vehicles adapted to Nigeria’s operational environment."

Fourthly, border and internal security: An agreement to begin immediate technical engagements to define and implement integrated border management, enhanced intelligence sharing, and coordinated responses to technologically sophisticated non-state threats.

The six points they agreed upon include disarmament and rehabilitation: Türkiye offered to share best practices in reintegration programmes to support Nigeria’s management of surrendered combatants and long-term community reintegration.

Air force and aviation support: Commitments were made to strengthen maintenance systems, supply chains, lifecycle support, and training to increase operational flight hours and enhance air readiness, including potential acquisition and sustained support for helicopters and unmanned systems.

Naval cooperation: Nigerian naval representatives will engage Turkish counterparts to inspect and evaluate suitable naval platforms and pursue specialised maritime training to improve maritime domain awareness and operational effectiveness.

Infrastructure and implementation: Both sides agreed on a phased, pragmatic implementation approach. Nigeria will make available appropriate land, preferably coastal, for training and operational facilities to support the agreed programmes.

“The outcomes of this engagement mark a significant step forward in Nigeria–Türkiye defence relations,” said General Musa.

“We are committed to delivering tangible, measurable results that strengthen our national security and advance the Renewed Hope Agenda. Nigeria looks forward to the timely implementation of the initiatives agreed in Antalya.”

Proposals and agreements from the meeting will be formally documented and processed through appropriate channels for prompt execution. Immediate actions include the commencement of initial training deployments, technical exchanges on border surveillance, and planning for the development of temporary and permanent training facilities in Nigeria.