The official relations between Nigeria and Turkey started after the former’s independence on October 1, 1960. Turkey opened an embassy in Lagos, then the capital of Nigeria, in August 1962.

The Turkish Embassy moved to Abuja in 2001 after the official proclamation of Abuja as the new capital on December 12, 1991, replacing Lagos, though the latter remains the country’s most populous commercial city. The Nigerian Embassy in Ankara which was closed in 1984 has been reopened since 2000.

Hitherto, the authorities at Nigeria’s first modern mosque in Southwestern Lagos State had called for a partnership with the Turkish government in the running of the religious edifice, famed for its Ottoman-like architecture. Estimated to cost £3,000 at the time, the Shitta-Bey Mosque was built in 1891 and inaugurated in 1894 by dignitaries that included Abdullahi Quillam, a representative of Ottoman Sultan Abd-al-Hamid. The mosque was named after Mohammed Shitta, the financier of the construction, whom the sultan honoured with the title of “Bey” for his contributions to Islam in the then-British colony of Lagos and elsewhere.

Born in 1824 in Sierra Leone, Shitta was said to have visited then-Ottoman Turkey in appreciation of his recognition. At its inauguration, the mosque was deemed the most modern and costliest ecclesiastical edifice in British West Africa. The Shitta-Bey Mosque, one of Nigeria’s national monuments, retains its unique architecture and interior designs, which were credited to Senghor Baptista Da Costa. Turkey and Nigeria have maintained good relations afterward. Both countries are members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Developing Eight and they maintain close cooperation in international organisations.

There are many Turkish companies in Nigeria, operating mainly in the construction, manufacturing and energy sectors. As of 2016, there were 50 Turkish firms operating in Nigeria whose total investment had amounted to $419.5m. Including the local partners’ shares, Turkish investment in Nigeria has amounted to a total of $620m.

Turkey has granted 28 undergraduate/graduate scholarships to Nigeria within the Turkish Government Scholarship Programmes between 2016 and 2017; now, the number has increased due to the inducement of other governmental organisations with the example of YTB, TIKA and DIYANET.

The two governments agreed to support each other in the fight against terrorism, human trafficking, drugs trafficking and arms trafficking.

Turkey specifically mentioned the menace of the Fethullah organisation which they accused of terrorism and involvement in the abortive coup plot on July 15, 2016 which the Turkish population gallantly resisted. There are more than 1,000 FETO members in Nigeria, many of them accused of belonging to this organisation had their passports declared invalid by their country.
Nigeria has her own challenges with the Boko Haram terrorist organisation which claims ties to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and (possibly) Daesh, two international terrorist organisations which Turkey is up against. Both countries also have issues with domestic terror organisations for which they need each other’s help.

On the issues of the suspected FETO members in Nigeria, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey received assurances from our president, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), that Nigeria will not allow any person or organisation to use her territory for any subversive activity. President Buhari used every given opportunity to denounce the failed coup attempt in Turkey.

Nigeria and Turkey also discussed the possibility of working together on the challenges brought about by the Internally Displaced Persons and refugees in the North-East, especially given that Turkey has the experience of handling about five million refugees on her territory.

While awaiting the high level delegation coming to Nigeria from Turkey as a reciprocal visit and, probably, completing the pending mutual and bilateral agreements, I am pleased with the friendly relations between Turkey and Nigeria, which have grown by leaps and bounds over the years. I look forward to more fruitful cooperation between the two governments and people in areas of mutual concern and interests for the benefit of our people.