By Anthony Maliki, Abuja
The Federal Government of Nigeria is set to strengthen its bilateral relationship with Turkiye, focusing on tourism and trade. This development was announced by Senator Hassan Hadejia, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, while receiving a delegation from the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) and the Turkish delegation of Turquaz group and Afrosum Faith Tourism at the State House Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to Senator Hadejia, “the renewed religious tourism initiative, championed by the NCPC and the Turkish group, is expected to foster a robust relationship between Nigeria and Turkiye.” He highlighted Turkiye’s well-developed tourism industry, which drives its economy, making it an ideal choice for religious tourism. “Turkiye has a well-developed tourism industry, which is a sector that drives their economy. This makes it easy to arrange for a seamless pilgrimage exercise in Turkiye,” he said.
In his remarks, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, Executive Secretary of the NCPC, commended President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for their support, which has enabled the Commission to successfully airlift pilgrims to Israel and Jordan. “I want to specially commend Mr. President and the Vice President for the opportunity given to me to superintendent over the affairs of the NCPC. We commenced the airlift of intending Christian pilgrims to Israel and Jordan for the 2024 Main Pilgrimage exercise on 22nd December last year and had successfully airlifted the last batch on 20th March, 2025,” he said.
Bishop Adegbite also emphasized the importance of exploring new holy sites worldwide, citing Turkiye as a tourism-friendly country with numerous Christian holy sites. “Turkiye is a tourism-friendly country with no fanaticism. I have visited Turkiye on several occasions and can attest to the fact that there are lots of Christian holy sites in the country,” he said.
The bilateral relationship between Nigeria and Turkiye will focus on two key areas: Pilgrimage and Medical Tourism. However, the challenge of visa procurement for intending Christian pilgrims has been a major constraint. Fortunately, the Turkish delegation and government have improved visa facilitation for Nigerian pilgrims.
Speaking, the leader of the Turkish delegation, Reghan Ozgir, Deputy Director General, Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that “this bilateral relationship would be the first time Nigerians would be visiting Turkiye on religious tourism.” He emphasized that Turkiye is the right country to visit, with over 52 million tourists visiting in 2024 alone. “Turkiye has developed its tourism industry over the years. In 2024 alone, over 52 million tourists visited Turkiye. We are ready to welcome Nigerian pilgrims and tourists,” he said.
The Turkish government is keen to diversify tourism for people of different religions, and this bilateral relationship is expected to foster a robust human connection between the two nations.
Also speaking, the Assoc. Prof. Dr. Omer Yilmaz, Board Member, Ankara Chamber of Commerce, expressed optimism about the bilateral relationship, stating that “we are ready to bring on the table the ease of visa procurement for the sake of religious tourism.”
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