Turkiye is planning to establish local defence production facilities and military training centres in Nigeria as part of efforts to strengthen security cooperation and increase bilateral trade from its current $2 billion to $5 billion.

The Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during a press briefing to mark the 66th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Poroy said the proposed defence facilities would allow Turkiye to move beyond supplying military equipment to Nigeria by supporting local manufacturing and strengthening the country’s defence capacity.

He said the initiative was part of efforts to implement agreements reached during President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Turkiye earlier in the year.

The visit, attended by nine Nigerian ministers, resulted in the signing of nine agreements and memoranda of understanding aimed at strengthening cooperation between both countries.