Why I followed Tinubu to Türkey – Air Chief

The Chief of Air Staff, Sunday Aneke, on Thursday explained why he was on the entourage of President Bola Tinubu to Ankara, Türkey.

Aneke, an Air Marshal, specifically explained that he joined the high-level official working strategic visit with a view to driving smarter air power and strengthen Nigeria’s strategic defence posture.

Daily Trust had reported how the President visited the country with the aim of boosting Nigeria’s counter-terrorism and trade in order to drive economy of the country.

Speaking through Ehimen Ejodame, the Spokesman of the Force via a statement, the Air Chief said he and the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa have already visited key pillars of Türkiye’s defence industry.

He listed the places they have visited as ASELSAN, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), and HAVELSAN, operating under the Secretariat of Defence of Türkiye.

“The strategic visit, which commenced on 26 January 2026, underscores the resolve of the Federal Government to proactively strengthen Nigeria’s defence posture, deepen international partnerships, and accelerate defence modernisation in line with the evolving security environment.

“At the diplomatic level, President Tinubu engaged his Turkish counterpart in focused bilateral discussions aimed at translating shared interests into tangible outcomes.

“These engagements culminated in the signing of nine (9) Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) spanning defence, trade, education, media, technology, and allied sectors.

“The agreements mark a significant step toward actionable cooperation, reinforcing Nigeria’s access to advanced technologies, structured skills transfer, and institutional frameworks that support long-term national security and development objectives.

“These engagements enabled the Nigerian Air Force to review existing procurement arrangements focusing on optimising the procurement programmes, enhancing sustainment and maintenance support, expanding training opportunities, advancing research and development, and deepening indigenous capacity building for the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN).

“The visit holds direct operational benefits to enhance NAF ongoing operational efforts, particularly in the fight against terrorism, banditry, insurgency, and other asymmetric threats.

“The CAS objectives were geared towards strengthening access to advanced aerospace technologies, mission-support systems, and sustainment solutions.

“The engagements are expected to further enhance intelligence, surveillance, precision engagement, and close air support capabilities critical to joint operations across theatres.

“These outcomes align squarely with the CAS’s mission objective of building a more agile, lethal, and technology-driven air force,’ the senior military officer explained.

Quoting what the Defence Minister, he said the engagements reflect the President’s clear directive to decisively confront Nigeria’s security challenges.

“This administration is committed to equipping the Armed Forces with the right capabilities, partnerships, and technologies required to defeat terrorism, banditry, and other threats to our national stability.”

“Our engagements in Türkiye are practical steps toward strengthening our operational effectiveness and self-reliance,” Musa, a retired four-star General was quoted to have said.

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