The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, and the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, have visited ASELSAN, Türkiye’s leading defence electronics company, as Nigeria explores areas of military cooperation and technology partnership.

This was stated by security consultant and counter insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, in a statement on his official X account on Thursday morning.

According to Makama, Musa and Aneke inspected the defence systems at ASELSAN on the sidelines of President Bola Tinubu’s official visit to Türkiye.

Gen. Musa, in a statement made available on Thursday, said they were received by Türkiye’s President of Defence Industries, Mr Haluk Görgün.

According to him, ASELSAN specialises in military communications, radar, surveillance and electronic systems for land, air and naval forces.

“We conducted a practical inspection of defence equipment and held discussions on ongoing cooperation and potential avenues for deeper defence synergy between Nigeria and Türkiye,” CDS Musa said.

He explained that the engagement was part of Nigeria’s broader efforts to strengthen its defence capabilities through strategic partnerships and technology transfer.

Gen. Musa added that the interaction with ASELSAN provided valuable insights into modern defence electronics and indigenous solutions that could support Nigeria’s security architecture.

The CDS also reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to deepening defence ties with Türkiye in areas of training, research, production and systems integration.

Meanwhile, President Tinubu on Tuesday said Nigeria is strengthening economic, security and diplomatic ties with the Republic of Türkiye, as both countries agreed to work towards a $5 billion bilateral trade volume.

Tinubu spoke in Ankara during a joint press briefing with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the State House, following high-level bilateral talks held as part of his state visit to Türkiye.

The Nigerian leader underscored the importance of open trade, inclusive economic growth and shared prosperity, stressing that Nigeria is keen on partnerships that expand opportunities and empower vulnerable populations.

“What is important to the countries being discussed is trade and business without restrictions, giving opportunities to those who are ready to learn, work and prosper,” Tinubu said.

“How do we build an inclusive economy together? How do we reform the economy and involve vulnerable people? How do we ensure peace in the world?”

President Tinubu also reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to promoting peace and stability across Africa despite security challenges in parts of the country, noting that discussions with Türkiye covered cooperation against terrorism and other agents of destabilisation.

“We discussed efforts against terrorism. We discussed how to defeat agents of destabilisation,” he added.