Nigeria, France Deepen Defence Partnership After High-Level Abuja Talks

By Zainab Uzomah| Abuja

Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening defence cooperation with France following the conclusion of the fifth Nigeria–France High Defence Staff Talks in Abuja.

The talks, held at the Defence Headquarters from 29 to 30 June, brought together senior military officials from both countries to discuss ways of expanding bilateral defence relations.

According to a statement signed by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, said the talks had become an important platform for advancing military cooperation through strategic dialogue, intelligence sharing, joint training and capacity building.

Represented at the closing session by the Chief of Defence Training, Rear Admiral Abolade Ogunleye, General Oluyede said Nigeria remained committed to sustaining and expanding its defence partnership with France in support of regional and global peace and security.

He said the meeting would strengthen professional ties between the armed forces of both countries and expressed confidence that its outcomes would deepen existing areas of cooperation.

Leading the French delegation, Lieutenant General Eric Peltier thanked the Armed Forces of Nigeria for hosting the meeting and reaffirmed France’s commitment to closer defence collaboration.

He described Nigeria as a leading African power with a central role in promoting regional stability, saying its experience in tackling security challenges was critical to building a stronger partnership between the two countries.

Lieutenant General Peltier said the talks had provided an opportunity to identify new areas of cooperation while reinforcing existing defence ties through closer engagement between military institutions.

The fifth Nigeria–France High Defence Staff Talks ended with both countries reaffirming their commitment to strengthening defence relations amid evolving regional and global security challenges.