Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has stated Nigeria’s desire to operationalise its agreements and Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) with the Republic of Türkiye.
The minister disclosed this when the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, paid her a courtesy visit in her office.
At the invitation of the President of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, his Nigerian counterpart, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, undertook an official visit to Ankara on 27 January 2026, aimed at further strengthening bilateral ties.
The delegation, which comprised of no fewer than six ministers and the National Security Adviser, among others, witnessed the firming up of several key bilateral instruments between both countries.
They include the Agreement on Cooperation in the field of education, the MOU on Cooperation between the Foreign Service Academy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Diplomacy Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye and the Joint Declaration on the Establishment of a Joint Economic and Trade Committee, as well as the protocol on Military Cooperation.
Others are Cooperation in the field of Halal Quality Infrastructure, Media and Communications and a Memorandum of Understanding on enhancing the effectiveness of Social Services provided to Women, Children, Persons with Disabilities, and Older Persons.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu told the envoy that President Tinubu had harped on maximising the outcomes of the recent visit by directing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to submit roadmaps for the operationalisation of the MoUs signed in Ankara. The minister further explained that MoUs are mere paper, pointing out that what is important is the ability of the parties to implement the letters to benefit their people.
“Nigeria and Türkiye hold identical views on strategies to address topical global issues, including the war against terrorism, climate change, and human migration, promotion of international peace and security, as well as calls for reform of the global governance system for greater inclusiveness to accommodate all interests across the various regions of the world,” the minister said.Odumegwu-Ojukwu said that economic relations between Nigeria and Türkiye were progressing steadily, with trade volume capped at close to 2 billion USD if the informal sector was captured in the official statistics.
According to her, the January 2026 trade forum in Ankara served as a practical engine for the “Renewed Hope Agenda,” transitioning diplomatic goals into a concrete roadmap for reaching a $5 billion bilateral trade target.
Central to the event was the activation of the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO), which was designed to move beyond traditional diplomacy by providing a standing mechanism for the private sector to resolve trade barriers and capitalise on Nigeria’s recent economic reforms.
The forum specifically prioritised the modernisation of Nigeria’s energy and agricultural sectors through Turkish technical expertise, particularly leveraging new Halal quality standards to open European and Middle Eastern markets to Nigerian exports.
Speaking, the Turkish Ambassador highlighted the country’s defence cooperation with Nigeria, noting the imperative of holding counterterrorism consultations between them in Abuja.
Amb. Poroy was upbeat that the Joint Economic and Trade Council would bolster economic relations between both countries, hence, his urge that they leverage on it to achieve the $5billion volume of trade target.