From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye and Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
Nigeria and Turkey, yesterday, signed eight major memorandum of understandings (MoUs) on key sectors, including energy, defence, mining and hydrocarbons with the implementation to commence immediately.
President Muhammadu Buhari made the disclosure at a joint press conference on the occasion of the official visit of Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Nigeria.
According to a statement by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, on the accomplishments from the visit, Buhari said: “During the visit, we held very useful discussions on a number of bilateral issues, aimed at strengthening this cordial relationship between Nigeria and Turkey. The key issues we touched on included a series of bilateral agreements and MoUs that had been finalised. As a positive outcome, eight major agreements/MoUs on a number of key sectors, including eEnergy, defence industry, mining and hydrocarbons were signed today (yesterday). We have agreed implementation is to commence immediately. In the course of our discussions, we also reviewed the travel ban list based on the revised COVID-19 protocols and removed Turkey from Nigeria’s travel ban list. Turkey has indeed achieved remarkable success in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.”
President Buhari added that President Erdogan’s meeting with a joint session of the Nigeria and Turkish Chambers of Commerce and Industry, before departing Nigeria, would be another opportunity to engage and exchange views on more productive ways of pushing ahead the socio-economic ties between the two countries.
Buhari praised Erdogan for opening his country’s borders to accommodate millions of refugees in dire need of humanitarian support.
The president said his Turkish counterpart had set an example to the rest of the world on how to treat refugees.
“I commend Your Excellency for your leadership and generosity in receiving and accommodating four million refugees fleeing from conflict areas, particularly in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. You have indeed set an example to the rest of the world,” he said.
President Buhari described the two-day visit of President Erdogan and the First Lady, Emine, as a reflection of the ‘robust, warm and cordial bilateral relation’ between Nigeria and Turkey.
President Erdogan stressed that Turkey was determined to improve relations with Nigeria to “higher levels on all fields.”
He said the trade volume between both countries reached $2 billion in 2020, making Nigeria the outstanding and the biggest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa.
“However, we still believe this level of trade we have achieved is far from being adequate. We hope and pray we will be expanding our trade volume up to $5 billion immediately.
“We hope the relations between the two nations will be further developed on the basis of a win-win scenario and mutual respect,” the president, said through an interpreter.
Commiserating with Nigeria on the attack in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State, which claimed several lives, the Turkish leader pledged his country would further cooperate with Nigeria on counter-terrorism as well as in the fields of military, defence and security.
Erdogan also revealed that members of a terrorist organisation, known as FETO, which attempted to topple his government in 2016, via a failed coup, were currently in Nigeria.
“As we’re probably aware of the fact that Turkey has been fighting against terrorist organisations for many decades, such as the PKK, PYD, FETO, DASH and other terrorist organisations.The perpetrator of the heinous failed coup of July the 15th, FETO, is still illegally active in Nigeria, and we are continuously sharing our intelligence with the Nigerian interlocutors and authorities. I hope and pray that our Nigerian brothers will forge a closer solidarity in this field with us, the Republic of Turkey.”
Meanwhile, in a bid to deepen cultural ties with Nigeria, Turkey, yesterday, commissioned the Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Centre in Abuja.
The centre was commissioned by the First Lady of Turkey, Emine Erdogan, assisted by the wife of the Vice President, Dolapo Osinbajo, and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq.
In her remarks, Erdogan said she was glad to be back in Nigeria after five years, saying it was a great pleasure to open the Yunus Emre Cultural Centre.
Erdogan said the centre, which the Turkish government opened in friendly and brotherly countries, was a sign of the importance Turkey attached to its relations with other countries.
“With this centre, we will be opening the doors of wisdom of Anatolia to our Nigerian brothers. As you will have the opportunity to get to know Turkish culture more closely, you will also be able to learn Turkish Language as you wish,” Erdogan said.