The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening military relations with the United States, especially in counter-terrorism operations.
Musa spoke on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving Major General Matthew Brown, Commander of the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), who was on an official working visit to the Ministry of Defence.
According to a statement by Leah Katung Babatunde, Special Adviser (Media) to the minister, the visit was meant to review ongoing joint security initiatives and develop a more result-oriented strategic framework for future defence collaboration.
The minister thanked the U.S. government for its sustained partnership, noting that joint security operations in the Northeast, particularly around the Lake Chad Basin, have significantly boosted troops’ morale.
To build on these gains, he outlined priority areas for deeper cooperation: specialised joint training for Special Forces; intelligence sharing and capacity building; enhanced border surveillance and security; Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) support; and modernisation of defence infrastructure to strengthen local capacity.
Brown, in his remarks, extended early Independence Day greetings to Nigeria and expressed gratitude for the decades-long military-to-military relationship, which he said continues to advance shared security objectives. He highlighted successful counter-terrorism engagements against ISIS-affiliated groups in Africa and commended the troops involved.
Addressing the nature of U.S. engagement in the region, following the departure of soldiers who were part of the Combined Special Task Force that operated in the Bauchi area, Brown stressed that American military activities in Nigeria are temporary and focused on institutional support and collaboration.
Describing the relationship between both countries as strategic and built on mutual trust, he said the main aim of his visit was to gain first-hand understanding of Nigeria’s defence priorities, so as to align broader U.S. support and strengthen ongoing bilateral intelligence sharing.
READ ALSO:
- Amaechi vows to resign if Nigeria doesn’t change within one year of ADC taking power
- Tinubu Deserves a Second Term, Lagos City Boy Director Tells Nigerians
- “Burying Lagosians in filth”: Gbadamosi slams Wahab’s clean-up drive as “performative misgovernance”
- Botched Lethal Injection: US Woman Hospitalised After Execution Attempt Fails
- Nigeria, US deepen military ties to combat terrorism
