President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja on Monday, January 26, for a state visit to the Republic of Turkey as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral relations between both countries.

The visit, according to a statement issued on Sunday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, is aimed at deepening cooperation in key sectors including security, education, social development, innovation, and aviation.

Onanuga noted that the trip follows an earlier official visit to Nigeria by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan between October 19 and 20, 2021, which further reinforced diplomatic ties between Abuja and Ankara.

During the visit, both countries are expected to hold strategic political and diplomatic engagements centred on shared interests in finance, communications, trade, and investment.

The programme will also feature meetings between senior government officials from both nations, as well as the signing of several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) covering scientific research, energy, technical cooperation, media and communications, military collaboration, and protocol.

A business forum will be held on the sidelines of the visit, bringing together Nigerian and Turkish investors to explore opportunities for mutual economic growth.

Members of the President’s delegation include the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN; Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd); and Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Jimi Benson.

Others on the entourage are the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Suleiman-Ibrahim; Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; Minister of Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa; National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu; and Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed.

President Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria at the conclusion of the visit.