The Hidden Agenda Behind Tinubu’s Turkey’s Visit Days After Signing Security Pact With US
On 22nd of January, 2026, the national security adviser to president Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nuhu Ribadu hosted a powerful delegation from the US military–AFRICOM leading to Nigeria forming a joint working group with the US to combat insecurity in the country.
The inaugural meeting was to formalize Nigeria’s military collaboration with the US government following its December 25th military airstrikes on terrórists’ hideouts in Sokoto, preceded by president Trump’s declaration of US readiness to intervene in Nigeria’s insecurity.
Hence, the Muslim communities in Nigeria have shown aversion to Nigeria-US military collaboration. Islamic clerics and preachers such as Sheikh Ahmad Gumi have openly challenged the Tinubu’s administration’s decision to collaborate with US government. Sheikh Gumi argued that Nigeria’s military collaboration with US is potentially a threat to the country’s sovereignty as well as the Muslims in the country amid president Trump’s claims of Christian genócide by islamists.
Sheikh Gumi suggested the Nigeria’s government seek military collaboration with Muslim friendlier countries such as Pakistan, Iran, or Turkey instead of US, stating that these countries posses the military capability to assist Nigeria in its fight against insecurity without infringing on the country’s sovereignty and corporate existence.
The Tinubu’s administration was as result, being accused by the Muslim north particularly, of being pro-West and condoning anti-muslim campaign by the US government.
This rhetoric if allowed to permeate the entire northern part of Nigeria whose population are vastly Muslims, would threaten president Tinubu’s reelection ambition in 2027.
As a result, to balance the equation, the Tinubu’s administration sought similar military partnership with Turkey, a Muslim country, as suggested by sheikh Gumi. Understandably why the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan while talking about president Tinubu’s visit to the country and Nigeria’s renewed partnership with Turkey, refered to Nigeria as part of the “Islamic world”, this further appeases the Muslim north and alters the narrative that president Tinubu is anti-north.
Like the US military partnership with Nigeria, key aspects of Turkey’s military collaboration with Nigeria focus on counter terrorism, offering training to Nigerian special forces, sharing satellite Intelligence, giving Nigeria military equipment such as helicopter, drones, and armored vehicles.
The similarity in the Nigeria-Turkey and the Nigeria-US agreement would make one wonder if there won’t be clash in the scope of the bipartite military partnership in the manner of a poor man marrying two powerful and wealthier wives.
How would Nigeria manage collaborating with the US military in counterterrorism and doing same with Turkey?
