President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday arrived in Ankara, the capital of Türkiye, on a state visit aimed at strengthening ties between Nigeria and Türkiye.

According to a statement issued in Abuja, the President’s aircraft landed at the Ankara Esenboğa Airport at 9:03 pm local time. He was welcomed by a Turkish government delegation led by the Minister of Education, Yusuf Tekin.

Officials of the Nigerian Embassy in Türkiye, including the Chargé d’Affaires, Zayyad Abdulsalam, were also present to receive the President.

At his hotel, President Tinubu was received by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, alongside several members of the Federal Executive Council.

Those present included the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun; Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake; Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa; Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji Ojo; Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Suleiman Ibrahim; and the Minister of Science and Technology, Kingsley Udeh.

The presidential entourage also featured the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, John Enoh; Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson; Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed.

The visit is expected to further strengthen the longstanding relationship between Nigeria and Türkiye and open up new areas of cooperation for mutual benefit.

President Tinubu is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The visit will also include the signing of memoranda of understanding and other official engagements.

[NAN]