By Nkechi Eze
The Honourable Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to deepening its strategic partnership with the Czech Republic as both countries work toward the conclusion of a comprehensive bilateral defence cooperation agreement.
The Minister stated this on Tuesday, 19 August 2025, while receiving a high-level Czech delegation led by the Junior Deputy Minister of Defence, Radka Konderlova, at the Ministry of Defence Headquarters in Abuja. The delegation also included the Czech Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Zdenek Krejci, and other senior defence officials from Prague.
In an official statement issued by the Principal Superintendent of Press, Pat Ituke, the Minister described the visit as a clear demonstration of the strong friendship and shared commitment to addressing common security challenges across Nigeria, West Africa and the wider international community. He recalled that earlier engagements including the recent visit of Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff to Prague reflect the seriousness of the emerging partnership.
Badaru disclosed that discussions initiated in January 2023 through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have now matured into practical collaborative steps capable of delivering tangible outcomes. He expressed confidence that the current visit would accelerate the process toward finalising a defence cooperation agreement between the two countries. “This partnership goes beyond visits; it is about building lasting frameworks that will strengthen our armed forces, promote regional stability and deepen the friendship between our two countries,” he said.
Responding, Czech Junior Deputy Minister of Defence Radka Konderlova reaffirmed Nigeria’s position as the Czech Republic’s most important defence partner in West Africa. She noted that the foundations for robust cooperation have already been firmly laid and confirmed that Nigeria is one of the select partner countries with which the Czech Republic intends to conclude a formal defence cooperation agreement, underscoring the strategic importance of the engagement.
Both parties agreed to sustain regular high-level exchanges and fast-track working-level negotiations in areas such as training, capacity-building, logistics and equipment interoperability as part of the broader efforts to expand bilateral defence and security cooperation.
