Tinubu’s Türkiye Defence Pact Signals New Offensive Against Terrorism — Gen. Musa
Nigeria is clearly doing something deliberate here, and it is worth stating plainly: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s foreign engagements are no longer routine diplomatic tourism — they are being shaped as security-and-investment missions with measurable operational intent.
Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, has framed the President’s strategic visit to Türkiye, which produced nine Memoranda of Understanding including a critical defence agreement, as evidence of an administration determined to confront terrorism, banditry and insurgency with stronger partnerships, modern capabilities and technology-driven force renewal.
According to the minister, the Tinubu government is pursuing “the right capabilities, partnerships, and technologies required to defeat terrorism, banditry, and other threats to national stability,” signalling a shift away from ad-hoc procurement toward structured defence-industrial cooperation.
A Practical Defence-Industry Turn.
Beyond the ceremonial signing of MoUs, Nigeria’s defence delegation — alongside the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke — toured major Turkish defence firms such as ASELSAN, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), and HAVELSAN.
These are not ordinary factories; they are among the pillars of Türkiye’s transformation into a global defence-export power.
Turkey today manufactures and exports armed drones, surveillance platforms, avionics, and integrated defence electronics that have proven decisive in multiple conflict theatres.
For Nigeria, whose counter-terrorism challenge increasingly involves asymmetric warfare, drones, intelligence surveillance systems, precision strike capacity and rapid-response air support, these partnerships carry direct battlefield relevance.
The Nigerian Air Force, through its spokesperson Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, confirmed that discussions focused on optimising procurement, maintenance sustainment, training expansion, research collaboration, and indigenous capacity-building — all key weaknesses that have historically constrained Nigeria’s long-term defence effectiveness.
Operational Reality: The War is Active.
This strategic push is unfolding against an urgent operational backdrop.
In the Northeast, troops of Operation Hadin Kai have intensified operations against Boko Haram and ISWAP factions, killing more than 12 terrorists in a surprise raid at Bula Dalo, recovering AK-47 rifles, a PKT anti-aircraft gun, rocket-propelled weapons, and grenade launchers.
In another encounter at Gamo, logistics structures were destroyed and large stocks of anti-aircraft ammunition recovered.
Yet the same update underscores the evolving nature of the threat: ISWAP deployed multiple armed drones in Sabon Gari, killing soldiers and CJTF members and damaging equipment.
This is a sobering confirmation that Nigeria is now confronting drone-enabled terrorism — a domain where advanced surveillance, electronic warfare, and air defence capabilities become indispensable.
Foreign Partnerships as Force Multipliers.
This is where Tinubu’s defence diplomacy becomes strategically significant.
Nigeria is not merely buying hardware; it is seeking partnerships that enhance intelligence integration, precision engagement, close air support, and operational agility.
Türkiye’s success against terrorism over the last two decades has been driven not only by troop deployments but by a domestic defence-industrial ecosystem, robust drone warfare capacity, and integrated intelligence systems.
Nigeria’s engagement with Turkish firms therefore reflects a pragmatic attempt to replicate proven models rather than remain trapped in dependency cycles.
Swiss Non-Kinetic Cooperation: Complementing Hard Power.
Equally notable is Nigeria’s renewed defence understanding with Switzerland, focused on non-kinetic security cooperation.
Swiss Ambassador Patrick Egloff, during a visit to the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, reaffirmed commitment to humanitarian engagement, peacebuilding, dialogue-driven initiatives, and institutional partnerships that address root causes of insecurity.
This matters.
Modern counter-insurgency doctrine globally recognises that military victories alone do not end terrorism — stabilisation requires development support, community rebuilding, governance reforms, and deradicalisation pathways.
Tinubu’s foreign engagements therefore reflect a dual-track strategy: kinetic strengthening through Türkiye and non-kinetic stabilisation partnerships through Switzerland.
Repositioning Nigeria for Investment and Global Confidence.
Beyond security, Tinubu’s foreign policy carries economic signalling power.
In the global investment ecosystem, national security stability is not separate from capital flows — investors assess risk environments before committing long-term financing.
By pursuing defence modernisation, industrial partnerships, and institutional stability, Nigeria improves its credibility as a serious emerging-market destination.
Tinubu’s diplomacy, particularly in strategic capitals, sends the message that Nigeria is not isolated, not passive, and not resigned to insecurity.
The broader implication is that foreign trips, when anchored in deliverables like MoUs, industrial access, defence cooperation, trade corridors, and peacebuilding support, are instruments of repositioning — not pageantry.
A Foreign Policy with Domestic Payoff.
The Tinubu administration appears to be aligning foreign engagement with domestic outcomes: stronger Armed Forces capability, reduced reliance on external emergency support, improved defence self-reliance, and enhanced investor perception.
Nigeria’s battle against terrorism is entering a more technologically complex phase.
Partnerships that strengthen surveillance, maintenance capacity, precision engagement and peacebuilding are no longer optional — they are essential.
In that context, Tinubu’s foreign engagements, particularly with capable defence-industrial partners like Türkiye and stabilisation-oriented partners like Switzerland, represent not distractions from Nigeria’s problems, but part of a structured response to them.
Dr. G. Fraser. MFR.
Headlinenews.news | Defence & Diplomatic Affairs Desk
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