Nigeria and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening defence and military cooperation between the two countries, as Nigeria grapples with multiple security challenges and seeks greater international support to rebuild its defence capabilities.
The MoU was signed in Abuja by Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, and Khaled Al-Biyari, Saudi Arabia’s Assistant Minister of Defence for Executive Affairs.
According to a statement issued by Enderline Chukwu, Assistant Director of Information and Public Relations at the Ministry of Defence, the agreement marks a major step toward enhancing Nigeria’s defence architecture and expanding the operational capacity of its armed forces.
Matawalle described the pact as “a significant milestone,” saying it will strengthen cooperation in training, joint military exercises, intelligence sharing, technical assistance, logistics and other mutually agreed areas of defence collaboration.
The agreement is set to last for an initial five-year period, with an option for renewal. Either country may terminate the pact with a three-month diplomatic notice.
The minister added that the partnership is expected to deliver concrete benefits for Nigeria, including improved counter-terrorism operations, enhanced professional military training and greater operational readiness through joint drills.
Nigeria and Saudi Arabia share longstanding diplomatic, cultural and economic ties, reinforced by religious connections through the annual Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. Both nations also work together in multilateral organisations such as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
In recent years, their relationship has broadened beyond religious and economic engagement to include investment discussions, energy cooperation and now direct defence collaboration — signalling a deepening strategic partnership between Abuja and Riyadh.