President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Ankara, Türkiye, to begin a diplomatic mission that is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between Nigeria and Türkiye.
The President landed at the Ankara Esenboğa Airport at 9:05 p.m. local time on Monday and was received by a Turkish government delegation led by the Minister of National Education, Yusuf Tekin.
Earlier, President Tinubu departed Abuja at about 2:05 p.m. from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
According to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the visit is intended to deepen cooperation in key sectors, including security, education, social development, innovation and aviation.
Onanuga said the trip builds on the official visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Nigeria in October 2021, which further strengthened diplomatic ties between Abuja and Ankara.
During the visit, both countries are expected to hold strategic political and diplomatic engagements centred on shared interests in finance, communication, trade and investment.
The programme will also feature meetings between senior officials from both sides and the signing of several memoranda of understanding covering scientific research, energy, technical cooperation, media and communications, military collaboration and protocol.
A business forum will be held on the sidelines of the visit to connect Nigerian and Turkish investors and explore opportunities for mutual economic growth.
Members of the President’s delegation include the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN; the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd); and the Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Jimi Benson.
Others on the entourage are the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Suleiman-Ibrahim; the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; the Minister of Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa; the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed.
President Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria at the conclusion of the visit.
His most recent foreign trip was to the United Arab Emirates, where he attended the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week and signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
