Turkey has pledged to assist Nigeria overcome her lingering security situation causing discomfort across the country.
The Turkish President, Tayyip Erdoğan, made the pledge in Abuja, during a joint news conference with President Buhari.
Commiserating with Nigeria on the recent bandits’ killings of scores of marketers in Sokoto State, the Turkish leader pledged that his country would further co-operate with Nigeria on counter-terrorism, fields of military, defence, and security.
He also said the trade volume between both countries reached 2 billion dollars in 2020, making Nigeria the most outstanding and biggest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa.
President Erdoğan said he still believed that the level of trade achieved was inadequate, and called for its expansion to 5 billion dollars.
He noted that many Nigerian students were studying in Turkey and benefiting from Turkish scholarships.
While commenting on the importance of the visit, President Buhari said both countries would benefit immensely from their strengthened relations.
He explained that they discussed and finalised series of bilateral agreements and Memoranda of Understanding on energy, defense, industry, mining, and hydrocarbons, whose implementations are with immediate effect.
President Buhari said they reviewed the travel ban list, based on the revised Covid-19 protocols, and removed Turkey from Nigeria’s Travel Ban List, acknowledging that Turkey has achieved remarkable success in addressing the scourge.
President Buhari said President Erdoğan’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.
He thanked the Turkish President and the First Lady for commissioning the Turkish Cultural Centre in Abuja, and the opening of the newly-renovated Government Secondary School in Wuse, Abuja, undertaken by the Turkish Co&operation and Co-ordination Agency.
President Buhari commended President Erdoğan’s leadership and generosity in receiving and accommodating 4 million refugees fleeing from conflict areas, particularly Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, saying that he is an example to the rest of the world.
Cov/Bello Wakili