President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has moved to reinforce Nigeria’s foreign policy leadership in West Africa by dispatching a high-level delegation to Burkina Faso, underscoring Abuja’s commitment to regional security, dialogue and integration.
The delegation, led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, delivered a message of solidarity from President Tinubu to Burkina Faso’s leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, during talks in Ouagadougou on Wednesday.
Discussions focused on strengthening political, security and economic cooperation, with particular emphasis on coordinated responses to growing security threats in the Sahel and enhanced collaboration through established sub-regional frameworks.
The engagement also led to the amicable resolution of the issue involving detained Nigerian Air Force pilots and crew, a development that reinforced mutual confidence and demonstrated Nigeria’s preference for diplomacy and dialogue in resolving sensitive cross-border matters.
President Traoré welcomed the Nigerian delegation and acknowledged President Tinubu’s message of goodwill, describing Nigeria as a critical partner in addressing shared security and development challenges confronting the sub-region.
Ambassador Tuggar reaffirmed Nigeria’s longstanding commitment to good neighbourliness and regional stability, stressing that Nigeria remains firmly supportive of initiatives aimed at strengthening cohesion, peace and economic integration across West Africa.
He reiterated President Tinubu’s readiness to work closely with Burkina Faso and other regional partners to promote stability, counter insecurity and advance sustainable development in the Sahel and beyond.
Both sides agreed to sustain regular diplomatic consultations and pursue concrete measures to deepen bilateral cooperation, reflecting a shared resolve to safeguard peace, unity and stability in the sub-region.
The Nigerian delegation also met with the detained air force personnel, who were reported to be in high spirits.
Members of the delegation included the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed; the Nigerian Air Force Chief of Policy and Plans, Air Vice Marshal A. Y. Abdullahi; Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, Ambassador Olawale Emmanuel Awe; and the Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Wahab Akande.
