Victor Ezeja
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Friday has disclosed that Nigeria will partner with the Republic of Turkey in tackling the current security challenges facing the country.
Buhari stated this at Istanbul, while during a bilateral meeting with Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, shortly before the official commencement of the 3rd Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit in the country’s capital, President Buhari acknowledged that Turkey had garnered a lot of experience dealing with security challenges of various kinds and Nigeria will latch onto that experience.
According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Garba Shehu Buhari said he was pleased with the Turkish offer of support to Nigeria in the area of security and peace.
“Turkey has practical experience dealing with challenges over the years and Nigeria stands to gain from that,” Buhari stated.
He expressed appreciation to the Turkish President for the gesture of inviting him to a meeting to discuss how to assist the country in tackling its challenges.
“I wish to express my appreciation for the special invitation for this meeting and to express my happiness with your offer of assistance in dealing with the challenges facing us.
‘‘I await the reports of officials and the ministers as they hold meetings with their counterparts. I assure you that I will endorse all their positive recommendations,” Buhari assured Erdogan.
Earlier, the Turkish leader said that he was happy to receive President Buhari shortly after he paid an official visit to Nigeria.
“Turkey understands the challenges facing Nigeria and its needs, and we are ready to assist you to meet those needs especially in the area of defence.
‘‘I am happy Nigeria is stepping up cooperation with other nations in areas of defence and health, and we are ready to cooperate with you on these areas and more,” Erdogan stated.
Turkey, which has growing recognition in the world as a military power with successes to show in Iraq, Syria, Libya and lately Azerbaijan, said it welcomed the Nigerian government’s decision to buy naval ships from their shipyard, noting that discussions are ongoing on how to strengthen the capacity of the Defence Industries Corporation (DICON) in Kaduna in line with an agreement signed during President Erdogan’s last visit to the country.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
