President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Türkiye has reaffirmed his country’s support for Nigeria’s fight against terrorism, pledging deeper cooperation in military training and intelligence sharing, as President Bola Tinubu continued high-level bilateral talks during his state visit to Ankara.

President Erdoğan made the commitment while addressing a joint press conference with President Tinubu, stating that Nigeria, under Mr. Tinubu’s leadership, is taking firm steps to confront terrorism and that Türkiye stands resolutely with the Nigerian people.

“We are ready to share Türkiye’s significant experience in counterterrorism,” President Erdoğan was quoted as saying by the presidential spokesman, Mr. Bayo Onanuga.

The Turkish leader warned that terrorist groups, particularly those operating in Africa’s Sahel region, pose a serious threat to the stability of the continent, stressing the need for sustained international cooperation.

As part of the visit, Nigerian officials held meetings with leading firms in Türkiye’s defence industry and expressed confidence that the engagements would yield positive outcomes. President Erdoğan said both countries reviewed “opportunities for closer cooperation” in the defence sector.

Beyond security, economic relations featured prominently in the discussions. President Erdoğan disclosed that both countries reaffirmed their target of achieving a $5 billion bilateral trade volume and explored new measures to deepen economic ties.

According to him, the talks focused on concrete steps required to attain the trade target, while the establishment of the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) was welcomed as a framework to drive bilateral cooperation.

President Erdoğan said President Tinubu’s visit reflected Nigeria’s strong political will to strengthen economic relations.

“Türkiye supports investments in Nigeria and welcomes cooperation between the Turkish Petroleum Corporation, BOTAŞ, and Nigerian energy firms,” he said, describing Nigeria as a country with the potential to emerge as Africa’s largest oil and gas producer.

He added that Nigeria occupies a strategic position in the restructuring of Africa’s energy economy, noting that Türkiye is eager to expand investment and trade relations in the sector.

Nigeria has been battling an insurgency for more than 12 years, a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives and displaced many others.

The visit continued as scheduled despite a brief incident during an official welcome ceremony at the Turkish presidential palace, where President Tinubu momentarily missed his step while walking alongside President Erdoğan.

A video of the moment, which circulated widely on social media, showed the Nigerian leader stumbling slightly before being quickly assisted by officials, allowing him to regain his balance.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Mr. Dada Olusegun, said the incident did not disrupt the President’s engagements.

“Mr. President missed his step very briefly and has continued his bilateral meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. A live press conference is happening immediately after the bilateral,” Mr. Olusegun wrote on his X handle.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Mr. Sunday Dare, also confirmed that President Tinubu proceeded directly from the ceremonial reception to his scheduled meetings.

“President Tinubu, after a stately welcome ceremony in Ankara, proceeded to scheduled bilateral meetings with the President of Türkiye and other senior government officials from both countries,” Mr. Dare said.

President Tinubu arrived at the Turkish presidential palace in a black limousine, where a military band rendered Nigeria’s national anthem, followed by the Turkish national anthem.

The President departed Abuja on Monday for the state visit, which is aimed at strengthening the existing cordial relations between Nigeria and Türkiye and exploring further areas of cooperation in security, education, social development, innovation, and aviation.

Finance, communication, trade, and investment are expected to dominate the political and diplomatic engagements between both countries during the visit.