By Sumaila Ogbaje

Nigeria and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen defence and military cooperation between both countries.

The agreement was signed by Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Mohammed Matawalle, and Saudi Arabia’s Assistant Minister of Defence for Executive Affairs, Dr Khaled Al-Biyari.

This is contained by the statement signed by the Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations, Enderline Chukwu, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Matawalle described the MoU as “a significant milestone” that would boost Nigeria’s defence architecture and enhance the capacity of the armed forces.

According to him, the agreement  will strengthen Nigeria’s defence architecture and enhance the capacity of the country’s armed forces.

He said the MoU would be in force for an initial period of five years, covering  cooperation in training, joint exercises, intelligence sharing, technical assistance, logistics and other mutually agreed defence activities.

“It may be reviewed and renewed for another five years, while either party may terminate it with three months’ diplomatic notice.

“The MoU is expected to deliver tangible gains for Nigeria, including improved professional military education, enhanced operational readiness through joint exercises and strengthened counter-terrorism cooperation,” he said. (NAN)