Newsbuka can authoritatively confirm that Nigeria and Saudi Arabia have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at deepening defence and military cooperation between the two countries.
‎‎The agreement signed on Tuesday, comes as Nigeria confronts multiple security threats and seeks stronger international support to rebuild its defence capabilities.
‎The MoU was signed in Abuja by Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, and Saudi Arabia’s Assistant Minister of Defence for Executive Affairs, Khaled Al-Biyari.
‎‎A statement issued to newsmen by the Assistant Director of Information and Public Relations, of the Ministry of Defence, Enderline Chukwu, said the pact represents a major step toward enhancing Nigeria’s defence architecture and expanding the operational reach of its armed forces.
‎‎According to the statement, Mr Matawalle described the MoU as a significant milestone, stressing that it will facilitate co-operation in training, joint exercises, intelligence sharing, technical support, logistics and other mutually agreed defence engagements.
Newsbuka gathered that the agreement will run for an initial five-year period, with an option for renewal. Either party may terminate it with a three-month diplomatic notice.
The statement also revealed that the partnership is expected to yield concrete benefits for Nigeria, including enhanced counter-terrorism efforts, improved professional military education and strengthened operational readiness through joint drills.
