By Nkiruka Nnorom

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu has affirmed Nigeria’s desire to operationalise its agreements and Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) with the Republic of Turkey.
A statement by Magnus Eze, Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, Office of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, quoted the minister as making the comment when the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy paid her a courtesy visit in her office at Abuja.

President Bola Tinubu had in January at the invitation of his Turkish counterparts, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, visited Ankara to further strengthen bilateral ties with the country.

The January delegation, which comprised of no fewer than six ministers and the National Security Adviser, among others, witnessed the firming up of several key bilateral instruments between both countries.

They include: Agreement on Cooperation in the field of education, MOU on Cooperation between the Foreign Service Academy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Diplomacy Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye and Joint Declaration on the Establishment of a Joint Economic and Trade Committee, as well as protocol on Military Cooperation.

Others are Cooperation in the field of Halal Quality Infrastructure, Media and Communications and Memorandum of Understanding on enhancing the effectiveness of Social Services provided to women, children, persons with disabilities, and older persons.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu told the envoy that President Tinubu had harped on maximizing the outcomes of the recent visit by directing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to submit roadmaps for the operationalisation of the MoUs signed in Ankara.

She said that the president also charged that the political consultations between the two countries coming up in Abuja sometime this year yielded good results.

The minister further explained that MoUs were mere paper and pointed out that what mattered was the ability of the parties to implement the letters to benefit their people.

“Bilateral relations between Nigeria and Türkiye have blossomed over the years in all ramifications; and political relations between both countries remain cordial. Nigeria and Türkiye hold identical views on strategies to address topical global issues, including the war against terrorism, climate change, and migration, promotion of international peace and security, as well as calls for reform of the global governance system for greater inclusiveness to accommodate all interests across the various regions of the world,” the minister said.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu said that economic relations between Nigeria and Türkiye were progressing steadily, with trade volume capped at close to $2 billion if the informal sector was captured in the official statistics.
According to her, the January 2026 trade forum in Ankara served as a practical engine for the “Renewed Hope Agenda,” transitioning diplomatic goals into a concrete roadmap for reaching a $5 billion bilateral trade target.

Central to the event was the activation of the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO), which was designed to move beyond traditional diplomacy by providing a standing mechanism for the private sector to resolve trade barriers and capitalize on Nigeria’s recent economic reforms.

The forum specifically prioritized the modernization of Nigeria’s energy and agricultural sectors through Turkish technical expertise, particularly leveraging new Halal quality standards to open European and Middle Eastern markets to Nigerian exports.

Speaking, the Turkish Ambassador highlighted the country’s defence cooperation with Nigeria, noting the imperative of holding counterterrorism consultation between them in Abuja.

Amb. Poroy expressed optimism that the Joint Economic and Trade Council would bolster economic relations between both countries, whilw urging both countries to leverage the JETCO to achieve the $5billion trade volume target.