Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has assured that the country’s expanding security partnership with Türkiye will not strain its long-standing relationship with the United States.
Speaking on Sunday Politics, Musa dismissed concerns that defence agreements with Türkiye could undermine US ties, stressing that Nigeria remains committed to a non-aligned foreign policy that allows it to collaborate with multiple global partners.
According to him, Nigeria’s national interest guides its international relationships, enabling it to maintain cooperation with countries such as China, Türkiye, and the United States simultaneously.
“Nigeria is a non-aligned nation. We can partner with everyone. Once a country is friendly to us, we can work together. Isolating yourself with only one bloc is not beneficial,” he said.
Musa noted that maintaining diverse defence alliances gives Nigeria greater strategic leverage, pointing to Egypt as an example of a nation benefiting from support from several global powers.
He also confirmed that military equipment and defence technology from Türkiye would soon begin arriving in Nigeria following recently signed agreements.
“Some of the equipment is already ready. We are completing the paperwork and will move into deployment, training, and capacity building. These are quick interventions we intend to roll out as soon as possible,” he explained.
Beyond procurement, the minister said the partnership includes military education, joint exercises, officer exchanges, and broader defence cooperation.
He added that Nigeria hopes to replicate Türkiye’s defence manufacturing model through technology transfer and local production.
“They can come here, produce the same standard of equipment, transfer the technology, and make it Nigerian-owned. That is key for our defence industry,” Musa said.
He emphasized that the collaboration would strengthen Nigeria’s internal security framework, improve local production capabilities, and provide access to modern military tools.
Nigeria and Türkiye signed nine bilateral agreements during President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to Ankara on January 27, 2026.
