European Union To Provide €20million Defence Support To Nigerian Armed Forces
European Union To Provide €20million Defence Support To Nigerian Armed Forces
The proposed assistance was discussed when the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States, Gautier Mignot, visited the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), at the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Abuja.
The European Union (EU) is set to provide €20 million in defence assistance to the Nigerian Armed Forces under the European Peace Facility as both sides move to strengthen cooperation in tackling terrorism, kidnapping and other security threats.
The proposed assistance was discussed when the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States, Gautier Mignot, visited the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), at the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Abuja.
Details of the meeting were disclosed on Saturday in a statement issued by Leah Katung-Babatunde, the special assistant on media to the Minister of Defence.
According to the statement, discussions focused on bilateral defence agreements and a review of security cooperation between Nigeria and the EU.
Katung-Babatunde said Mignot disclosed that an EU technical delegation would visit Abuja in November to agree on the details for delivering the €20 million assistance.
The EU ambassador also commended Musa’s efforts to address Nigeria’s security challenges and invited the minister to attend a meeting of defence ministers scheduled to hold in Brussels later in the year.
In his remarks, Musa expressed appreciation to the EU for its continued support for Nigeria and reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to protecting lives and property.
The minister said relative peace was gradually returning to troubled parts of the country through the efforts of the Armed Forces and other security agencies.
He, however, acknowledged that kidnapping along major highways and attacks on isolated communities remained persistent security concerns.
Musa disclosed that Nigeria was expecting the delivery of 10 attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and other military equipment to strengthen its operational capacity.
“In this regard, Nigeria is expecting the delivery of 10 attack helicopters, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and other major enablers,” he said.
The minister also identified the shrinking of the Lake Chad Basin, which supports more than 50 million people, as a potential source of instability in the region.
He stressed that preventing terrorists from maintaining strongholds on islands in Lake Chad remained a major operational priority for the Multinational Joint Task Force, which coordinates regional efforts against insurgency.
Musa further addressed Nigeria’s Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration programme, stressing that its implementation should prioritise victims of the conflict, including military personnel affected by the violence.
The proposed EU assistance comes as Nigeria continues to pursue international partnerships to strengthen its defence capabilities and improve responses to terrorism and other security threats.
The Nigerian government has also been working to expand domestic defence production, including through initiatives supporting the development of unmanned systems, military hardware and digital defence technologies.
The €20 million assistance is expected to strengthen defence cooperation between Nigeria and the European Union, with further details on its delivery to be discussed during the EU technical delegation’s planned visit to Abuja in November.
