Tinubu Follows Gumi’s Advice as Nigeria Signs Major Defence Pact with Turkey, Raising Questions About Who Controls the Country’s Security
In a move that has ignited widespread speculation across Nigeria, Tinubu has overseen the signing of a significant defence cooperation agreement with Turkey during a state visit to Ankara, just weeks after prominent Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi publicly urged the government to shift away from U.S. military partnerships toward “neutral” partners like Turkey.
The pact, part of nine memoranda of understanding exchanged on January 27, 2026, between Nigerian and Turkish officials, focuses on counter-terrorism support, military training, intelligence sharing, and broader defence industry collaboration.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged Ankara’s experience in combating militants to aid Nigeria’s ongoing fight against insurgency in the North-West and Sahel regions, while both leaders reaffirmed ambitions to boost bilateral trade from around $2 billion to $5 billion annually
The agreements also cover education, media, diaspora policy, energy, social development, and the creation of a Joint Economy and Trade Committee.
Tinubu described the engagements as a step toward inclusive growth and shared prosperity, thanking Turkey for its willingness to partner across key sectors.
The timing has fueled intense debate on social media and in public discourse.
In late December 2025, Sheikh Gumi sharply criticized reported U.S. airstrikes on terrorist targets in north-western Nigeria, labeling them a potential “neo-Crusade” that could polarize the country along religious lines and turn Nigeria into a “theatre of war.”
He explicitly recommended that if external military assistance is needed, Nigeria should turn to neutral actors such as China, Turkey, or Pakistan rather than the United States.
Posts on X (formerly Twitter) quickly linked the Ankara deal to Gumi’s earlier statements, with users questioning whether the cleric’s influence has shaped high-level foreign policy decisions.
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One widely shared comment asked whether Nigeria was now “boosting defence ties with Turkey more than US/Donald Trump’s support” to fight terrorism.
Others expressed skepticism about the strategic pivot, with some alleging it appeases certain non-state voices at the expense of traditional Western alliances.
