Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will leave Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, on Monday, 26 January 2026, for a state visit to the Republic of Türkiye, a transcontinental country that sits between Europe and Asia with its seat of government in Ankara.
The President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, announced the trip in a statement issued on Sunday, 25 January 2026. Okay News reports that the visit is designed to deepen the friendly ties between Nigeria and Türkiye and to open new areas of cooperation. Onanuga said the talks will cover “security, education, social development, innovation, and aviation.”
The trip follows President Tinubu’s return to Abuja from Guinea-Bissau, a West African country where he had been on an official engagement. The Türkiye visit is also described as a response to an earlier state visit to Nigeria by Türkiye’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who travelled to the country from Tuesday, 19 October 2021 to Wednesday, 20 October 2021.
During President Tinubu’s time in Türkiye, both sides are expected to hold high-level political and diplomatic meetings aimed at strengthening cooperation in areas such as finance, communications, trade, and investment. The discussions are expected to focus on shared priorities and ways to build stronger links between government institutions and the private sector in both countries.
The statement also said the programme will include meetings involving senior officials from both nations, along with the signing of several memoranda of understanding. These agreements are expected to cover areas including scientific research, energy, technical cooperation, media and communications, military cooperation, and protocol, among other fields.
A business forum is also planned as part of the visit. The forum is expected to bring together investors and business leaders from Nigeria and Türkiye, with the goal of identifying practical opportunities for collaboration, partnerships, and new investments that could benefit both economies.
Several top Nigerian officials will travel with the President and take part in the bilateral discussions. They include Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, who is responsible for the country’s diplomatic relations, and Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), one of the country’s highest legal honours.
Also listed are Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retired), and Jimi Benson, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Defence in Nigeria’s federal legislature. Other members of the delegation include Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, and Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, whose portfolio covers issues such as internal security and immigration services.
The entourage further includes Nigeria’s Minister of Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, as well as Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who coordinates security strategy for the presidency. Mohammed Mohammed, the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Nigeria’s foreign intelligence service, is also expected to join the discussions.
At the end of the trip, President Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria after concluding the official engagements in Türkiye.
