Our fellow Turkish citizens living in the Federal Republic of Nigeria,

Dear Nigerian friends,

I have assumed my duty as the Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and as the Permanent Representative to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

I am pleased, excited and honoured to serve in Nigeria as the biggest economy and most populous country in Africa, in a time when Türkiye aims to deepen and further strengthen its relations with the continent.

Our Embassy - which was inaugurated in August 1962, in Lagos, then the capital of Nigeria, after its independence and later on moved to Abuja, in 2001, after its proclamation as the new capital in 1991 - is among the oldest diplomatic missions of Türkiye in Africa. The year 2022 will mark the 60th anniversary of our diplomatic presence in this beautiful country. I am so excited to serve at the Turkish Embassy in Abuja that has a history of over a half century and represent my country in this particular time.

Based on deep historical roots, Türkiye’s relations with Nigeria are crucial not only on political and economic grounds but also in terms of cultural and humanitarian ties. Political cooperation, economic and trade relations, dialogue on military, security and defense industry issues as well as cultural and people-to-people links between our two countries, both of which are strong actors in their respective regions, are taking a step further, in every passing day. As the Turkish Embassy in Abuja, we will exert all our effort to intensify and further develop these bonds.

Our firms and entrepreneurs are proudly contributing to Nigerian economy and its efforts for development. One of our primary aims is to increase our bilateral trade volume to a level that would reflect the true potential of both countries. I would like to highlight that we are ready to extend any support needed to our private sector members to swiftly realize this target and to elevate our investments and our trade activities in Nigeria to the desired levels.

I also want to emphasize that Türkiye is ready to extend all kind of support to Nigeria in its efforts to counter the current challenges. We are willing to improve our existing solidarity and establish deeper cooperation with Nigeria whom we consider as an important friend and strong partner in Africa.

We will keep working in close coordination with all ourCounsellors along with our public agencies, including Maarif Foundation, Anadolu Agency and Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Centre, along without civil society organizations, to strengthen the current infrastructure in areas that are essential for the development of human capital, such as education and health and to intensify Türkiye’s presence in Nigeria in humanitarian, social and cultural fields.

Moreover, I want to stress that I would like to serve as an ambassador maintaining a close dialogue with our citizens, throughout my tour of duty in Nigeria. It is also our priority to provide you quick and effective consular service. Our consular services are working on 7/24 basis, through our e-consular system and call center. In case of any emergency, please contact us anytime, via our Consular Emergency Line. We strongly encourage you to check our official website and follow our social media accounts to get latest updates and learn about our announcements.

I have full confidence that we will work as a team with our citizens living in Nigeria to honour Türkiye’s presence in this country, in the most positive way possible.

It would be pleased to take your opinion on any issue that would contribute to our relations with Nigeria. On behalf of my colleagues and of myself, I extend my greetings to you and your families.

Hidayet Bayraktar

Ambassador