The Honourable Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Muhammed Matawalle, MON, led Nigeria’s delegation to the SAHA Expo 2026, a leading global defence and aerospace exhibition held in Istanbul, Türkiye, from May 5 to 9, 2026, as part of efforts to strengthen international defence cooperation and enhance Nigeria’s indigenous defence capabilities.
According to an official signed statement by the Chief Information Officer, for Director, Information and Public Relations, Ministry of Defence, Queeneth Iheoma-Hart, the five-day exhibition attracted more than 1,700 companies, including 263 international firms, and over 30,000 defence industry professionals from more than 120 countries.
Dr. Matawalle and members of the Nigerian delegation participated in the official opening ceremony alongside the Special Guest of Honour, Türkiye’s Minister of Industry and Technology, Mehmet Fatih Kacır; the Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Türkiye, Yaşar Güler; and other senior government and industry representatives.
The exhibition was formally declared open by the Chairman of SAHA Expo 2026, Haluk Bayraktar, who described the event as “a meeting point for minds that will dominate technology.”
During the exhibition, the Minister and his delegation toured the stands of prospective defence partners and visited the exhibition booth of the Defence Industry Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), underscoring Nigeria’s commitment to advancing local defence manufacturing and technology development.
On the sidelines of the expo, Dr. Matawalle held strategic engagements with key international stakeholders, including the Minister of Defence Industry of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Vugar Mustafayev. Discussions focused on strengthening defence cooperation and exploring opportunities to enhance the operational capabilities of the Armed Forces of Nigeria through partnerships involving DICON and other global defence firms.
The meeting was attended by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal S.K. Aneke, and other members of the Nigerian delegation.
Speaking during the engagements, Dr. Matawalle reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to building sustainable defence partnerships capable of supporting the country’s long-term security objectives.
“Nigeria is moving from buying and selling to building solid partnerships with reliable defence partners,” the Minister stated.
The participation of the Nigerian delegation at SAHA Expo 2026 reflects the Federal Government’s drive to deepen international defence collaboration, promote indigenous defence production and leverage global technological innovations to strengthen national security.
