President Bola Tinubu was on Tuesday received with full diplomatic and military honours at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, marking the start of his high-level state visit to the Republic of Türkiye.

The official reception, which began at about 5:00 p.m. local time, featured the simultaneous rendition of the Nigerian and Turkish national anthems, followed by a ceremonial 21-gun salute. President Tinubu, alongside his host, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, inspected a guard of honour mounted by Turkish military personnel.

After the ceremonial proceedings, both leaders proceeded to a closed-door bilateral meeting, where discussions on issues of strategic national interest were expected to take place.

The visit is President Tinubu’s first official trip to Türkiye and comes as a reciprocal engagement following President Erdoğan’s visit to Nigeria in October 2021 during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the visit is aimed at deepening cooperation between both countries in areas such as security, education, social development, innovation, and aviation.

Onanuga said Nigeria and Türkiye would also hold strategic political and diplomatic discussions centred on shared interests in finance, communication, trade, and investment.

He added that the visit is expected to significantly elevate bilateral relations, with particular emphasis on Türkiye’s expertise in the security and defence sectors identified as critical to Nigeria’s current strategic priorities.

The programme of activities includes meetings between senior officials of both countries and the signing of several memoranda of understanding covering scientific research, energy, technical cooperation, media and communications, military collaboration, and diplomatic protocol. A Nigeria–Türkiye business forum is also scheduled, bringing together investors from both nations to explore opportunities for mutual economic benefit.

President Tinubu is accompanied by a high-powered delegation that includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar; Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi; Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.); National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed.

Other members of the delegation are the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim; and Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Jimi Benson.