By ifeoma Onyekachi

Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to fully implement the Memoranda of Understanding signed with the Republic of Türkiye earlier this year, as part of efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, gave the assurance during a meeting with the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, who paid her a courtesy visit at her office in Abuja.

According to a statement issued by her Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, Magnus Eze, the minister said Nigeria was committed to ensuring that all agreements signed between both countries in January are implemented for the mutual benefit of their citizens.

She recalled that President Bola Tinubu visited Ankara on January 27 at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, where several agreements were signed to deepen cooperation between the two nations.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the focus of both countries was not just signing agreements but ensuring their implementation so that the outcomes would positively impact economic growth, trade, education, defence cooperation, and social development.

She noted that Nigeria and Türkiye have continued to maintain strong diplomatic and political relations over the years, adding that both countries share similar positions on global issues such as counterterrorism, climate change, migration, international peace and security, and reforms in global governance systems to ensure inclusiveness across regions.

The agreements signed between the two countries cover several sectors, including education cooperation between Nigeria’s Foreign Service Academy and Türkiye’s Diplomacy Academy, the establishment of a Joint Economic and Trade Committee, military cooperation, halal quality infrastructure, media and communications, and social services aimed at improving support for women, children, persons with disabilities, and the elderly.

The minister also disclosed that President Tinubu had directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies to develop implementation roadmaps for all agreements signed during the Ankara visit to ensure they are fully operational.

She further stated that trade relations between Nigeria and Türkiye were growing steadily, noting that trade volume between the two countries was approaching two billion dollars, particularly if informal trade activities were included in official statistics.

According to her, the Nigeria-Türkiye Trade Forum held in Ankara in January 2026 was designed to support the Federal Government’s economic agenda by translating diplomatic engagements into concrete economic outcomes, including a target to increase bilateral trade to five billion dollars.

She explained that a key outcome of the forum was the activation of the Joint Economic and Trade Committee, which would serve as a platform for resolving trade barriers, encouraging private sector participation, and supporting investment opportunities arising from Nigeria’s economic reforms.

The forum also identified priority areas for cooperation, particularly in the modernisation of Nigeria’s energy and agricultural sectors through Turkish technical expertise, as well as the development of halal quality standards to enable Nigerian products access markets in Europe and the Middle East.

In his remarks, the Turkish Ambassador emphasised the importance of defence cooperation between both countries, especially in the area of counterterrorism consultations. He added that the Joint Economic and Trade Council would play a significant role in strengthening economic ties and helping both countries achieve their five billion dollar trade target.