President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Ankara, the capital of the Republic of Türkiye, for a state visit aimed at strengthening diplomatic and economic relations between Nigeria and the Eurasian nation.
The President departed Abuja on Monday afternoon from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and landed at Ankara Esenboğa Airport later in the evening.
He was formally received by a delegation of the Turkish government led by the Minister of National Education, Yusuf Tekin.
Officials of the Nigerian Embassy in Türkiye, including the Chargé d’Affaires, Ambassador Zayyad Abdulsalam, were also present at the airport reception.
According to a statement from the Presidency, the visit is designed to consolidate the long-standing cordial ties between Nigeria and Türkiye while expanding cooperation in critical areas such as security, education, social development, innovation, aviation and trade.
During the visit, President Tinubu is scheduled to hold high-level talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The discussions are expected to focus on bilateral and global issues of mutual interest, as well as strategies for deepening economic and diplomatic collaboration between both countries.
The programme of events includes the signing of several memoranda of understanding intended to formalise partnerships across key sectors.
A Nigeria–Türkiye business forum will also be held on the sidelines of the visit to create opportunities for interaction between investors from both countries and promote private-sector-driven growth.
Senior members of the Nigerian delegation 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 (retd).
Other officials present were the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim; the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Udeh; the Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson; the Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed.
President Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria at the conclusion of the visit.
His trip to Türkiye followed a recent visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he participated in the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week and signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
