By Harriet Tornguvan
Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, has led Nigeria’s delegation to the 2026 edition of SAHA Expo, a major global defence and aerospace exhibition held in Istanbul, Türkiye, as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s defence capabilities through strategic international partnerships.
The five day exhibition, which took place from May 5 to 9, attracted more than 1,700 companies, including 263 international firms, and over 30,000 defence and aerospace industry professionals from more than 120 countries.
Matawalle joined top government officials and industry leaders at the opening ceremony, which was attended by Türkiye’s Minister of Industry and Technology, Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of National Defence, Yaşar Güler, and other senior representatives from across the globe.
Chairman of SAHA Expo 2026, Haluk Bayraktar, formally declared the exhibition open, describing the event as “a meeting point for minds that will dominate technology.”
During the exhibition, the Nigerian delegation toured several exhibition stands of prospective defence partners, including the indigenous Defence Industry Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), showcasing the country’s commitment to enhancing local defence production capabilities.
The minister also held strategic discussions with key international stakeholders, notably Azerbaijan’s Minister of Defence Industry, Vugar Mustafayev. The meeting focused on strengthening cooperation aimed at improving the operational capacity of the Armed Forces of Nigeria through partnerships with DICON and leading global defence firms.
Also present at the engagement was the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal S.K. Aneke, alongside other members of the Nigerian delegation.
Speaking on Nigeria’s defence objectives, Matawalle emphasized the government’s determination to move beyond conventional procurement arrangements toward long-term partnerships that will boost local capacity and technological advancement.
“Nigeria is moving from buying and selling to building solid partnerships with reliable defence partners,” the minister said.
The participation of Nigeria at SAHA Expo 2026 underscores the Federal Government’s drive to deepen international defence cooperation, promote indigenous defence manufacturing, and enhance the nation’s security architecture through technology transfer and strategic collaboration.
