Chief Of Air Staff Accompanies President Tinubu and HMOD To Türkiye To Advance Smarter Air Power and Deepen Strategic Defence Cooperation
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, accompanied the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the Honourable Minister of Defence (HMOD), General Christopher Gwabin Musa, on an official working visit to Ankara, Republic of Türkiye. The high-level engagement was aimed at strengthening existing bilateral relations between Nigeria and Türkiye while expanding strategic cooperation in areas critical to national security, defence capability development, and technological advancement.
During the visit, President Tinubu held strategic bilateral discussions with his Turkish counterpart, culminating in the signing of nine (9) Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering defence, trade, education, media, technology, and related sectors. The agreements establish a structured framework for enhanced collaboration, enabling access to advanced technologies, skills transfer, and institutional cooperation that directly support Nigeria’s defence modernisation drive and broader national development objectives.
In furtherance of defence and air power cooperation, the CAS and the HMOD visited leading Turkish defence industry firms, ASELSAN, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), and HAVELSAN, operating under the Secretariat of Defence of Türkiye, alongside other high-level bilateral defence engagements. These interactions provided opportunities to review and fine-tune existing procurement arrangements, explore future capability development initiatives, and strengthen defence-industrial cooperation in support of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN). The outcomes align with the CAS’s mission objective of building a more agile, technology-driven, and professionally competent Nigerian Air Force capable of delivering smarter air power for safer communities. The strategic visit therefore reinforces the NAF’s commitment to enhanced operational effectiveness, strengthened national security, and sustainable development, while assuring Nigerians of a future anchored on improved safety, stability, and progress.
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