Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Honourable Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd) OFR, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to a sustained and enhanced strategic partnership with the United Kingdom to tackle evolving security challenges. This was contained in a statement signed by Leah Katung-Babatunde, Special Adviser (Media), to the Honourable Minister of Defence.
General Musa gave this assurance on Tuesday at the Ship House, Abuja, while receiving the UK National Security Adviser, Jonathan Powell, and his delegation. The UK team is in Nigeria for the 4th UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership (SDP4) Dialogue.
During the high-level engagement, General Musa emphasised the importance of deepening bilateral ties, particularly in the critical areas of counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing, and regional stability.
“Nigeria values its historic and strategic relationship with the United Kingdom,” the Minister stated.
In line with existing bilateral frameworks, the Honourable Minister and the visiting UK NSA agreed to a comprehensive review of existing Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between both nations, with a specific focus on modernising security protocols, expanding technical training, and enhancing capacity-building for the Nigerian Armed Forces.
The bilateral meeting was on the side of the 2-day SDP4 Dialogue hosted at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in Abuja. Co-led by Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and the UK NSA, Jonathan Powell, the high-level summit successfully set a robust agenda for bilateral security cooperation through 2026 and beyond.
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