Why Nigeria’s Security Pact With Türkiye Won’t Affect Relationship With US — General Musa

The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has said Nigeria’s growing security partnership with Türkiye will not undermine its relationship with the United States, insisting that the country remains committed to its non-aligned posture.

General Musa said this during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics while responding to concerns that Nigeria’s defence agreements with Türkiye could strain ties with Washington, especially amid ongoing US military support to Nigeria.

According to the former Chief of Defence Staff, Nigeria’s approach allows it to work with multiple international partners in its national interest.

“Nigeria is now a non-aligned nation, which means we can partner with everybody. Once you are a friendly nation to us, we are friends, and we can relate directly.

“That is why we can deal with China, Türkiye, and the United States. The idea of isolating yourself with just one group is not the best for anybody,” he said.

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The defence minister explained that maintaining diverse defence partnerships gives Nigeria strategic leverage, citing Egypt as an example of a country that benefits from cooperation with multiple global powers.

“You can see in Egypt that they have support from several countries. It is important to keep that leverage so you can continue to move forward,” he added.

The minister also confirmed that military equipment and technology from Türkiye would begin arriving in Nigeria soon, following the signing of defence agreements between both countries.

“Very soon. Some of them are already ready. We are working on the paperwork now. The signing has been done, and we will proceed with discussions, training, and capacity building.

“Some of these are quick interventions that will come in, and we are going to deploy them as fast as possible,” he said.

The former Chief of Defence Staff said the agreements go beyond procurement, focusing heavily on military education, joint training, and defence industry cooperation.

“What we signed is essentially putting pen to paper on our friendship and military cooperation. It involves military education, exchange of officers, and training of troops. They will send their personnel here, and we will send ours there,” he explained.

The General noted that Nigeria is particularly interested in replicating Türkiye’s defence production model, adding that the partnership would allow technology transfer and local manufacturing.

“On defence industry cooperation, we have not done much in production before, and we want to replicate what they have achieved.

“They can come here, produce the same standard equipment they have in Türkiye, transfer the technology, and make it Nigerian-owned,” he said.

The defence minister said the collaboration would strengthen Nigeria’s internal security architecture, enhance defence capabilities, and improve access to modern military technology.

Nigeria and Türkiye signed nine bilateral agreements on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, in Ankara during President Bola Tinubu’s state visit.

The agreements cover defence and security, energy, trade, media, education, and agriculture, to increase bilateral trade from about $2 billion to $5 billion.

Security cooperation featured prominently, including agreements on military training, intelligence sharing, and defence technology.

The assurances come amid continued military support from the United States.

In mid-January 2026, US authorities delivered military equipment to Nigeria in Abuja to boost counter-terrorism operations in several parts of the country.

The support followed increased intelligence sharing and joint security engagements.

The US assistance followed high-level meetings between American officials and Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, aimed at resolving earlier delays in military transfers.

The development followed heightened US pressure on Nigeria under President Donald Trump, who accused the country of religious persecution and security failures.

Tensions escalated when the U.S. carried out Tomahawk missile strikes on December 24, 2025, targeting alleged ISIS camps in Sokoto State.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian authorities have consistently maintained that the country protects religious freedom.