Nigeria–Russia relations are the

bilateral Bilateral may refer to any concept including two sides, in particular: *Bilateria, bilateral animals *Bilateralism, the political and cultural relations between two states *Bilateral, occurring on both sides of an organism ( Anatomical terms of l ...

foreign relations A state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterally or through m ...

between

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. Russia has an

embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually den ...

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

and a representative office in Abuja, and Nigeria has an embassy in Moscow. The current Ambassador of Russia to Nigeria is Alexey Shebarshin.

Early years

Dmitry Medvedev in Nigeria 24 June 2009-1

Diplomatic relations between

and the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

were established on 25 November 1960. The

Prime Minister of Nigeria The Prime Minister of Nigeria was a political office in Nigeria. The Prime minister was the head of government in the country from 1960 to 1966, when the office was replaced by the president of Nigeria holding this role. History of the office When ...

at the time, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa had a pro-West orientation in his foreign policy, which represented for abhorrence to USSR and other Eastern Bloc states. As a result, the circulation of communist literature in Nigeria was banned and students were discouraged from taking Soviet scholarships. Balewa had personally assured the British government "we shall use every means in our power to prevent the infiltration of communism and communist ideas into Nigeria." At one point, the Soviets were implicated in a plot to overthrow Balewa’s government. At the same time, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union did not have close links with the Communist Party of Nigeria, which adopted a more pro-Chinese stance.

Military governance

After the

1966 Nigerian counter-coup The 1966 Nigerian counter-coup, or the so-called "July Rematch", was the second of many military coups in Nigeria. It was masterminded by Lt. Colonel Murtala Muhammed and many northern military officers. The coup began as a mutiny at roughly m ...

, the Soviet Union welcomed General

Yakubu Gowon Yakubu Dan-Yumma 'Jack' Gowon (born 19 October 1934) is a retired Nigerian Army general and military leader. As Head of State of Nigeria, Gowon presided over a controversial Nigerian Civil War and delivered the famous "no victor, no vanquishe ...

as the new Nigerian leader, especially with the release from prison of Chief

Obafemi Awolowo Chief Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo (; 6 March 1909 – 9 May 1987) was a Yoruba nationalist and Nigerian statesman who played a key role in Nigeria's independence movement (1957-1960). Awolowo founded the Yoruba nationalist group Egbe O ...

, who had been sympathetic to closer ties with the Soviet Union. Gowon sent a special envoy to Kremlin to further ties.

Civil War

During the

Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Nigerian–Biafran War or the Biafran War, was a civil war fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence ...

between 1967 and 1970, the

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

provided the Nigerian government with political and military assistance. In January 1970, Nigerian Ambassador George Kurubo praised the Soviet military aid, sayin that it "more than any other single thing—more than all other things together" contributed to the government victory. Furthermore, he noted “something commendable, something great and something honorable in this attitude.”

Later years

A Soviet-owned

Ajaokuta Steel Mill Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited (ASCL) popularly known as Ajaokuta Steel Mill is a steel mill in Nigeria, located in Ajaokuta, Kogi State, Nigeria. Built on a site starting in 1979, it is the largest steel mill in Nigeria, and the coke oven and ...

and a college and technical school were established in 1975 in

Warri The city of Warri is an oil hub within South-South Nigeria and houses an annex of the Delta State Government House. Warri City is one of the major hubs of the petroleum industry in Nigeria. Warri and her twin city, Uvwie are the commercial ...

. In 1979, Nigeria ordered the Soviet Union to cut its contingent of military advisers in the country from 40 to 5 staff members, in response to inefficient performance and “condescending attitudes” on the part of the Soviet advisers, who train Nigerians to fly Soviet MIG‐21 fighters. In 1984, General

Tunde Idiagbon Babatunde "Tunde" Abdulbaki Idiagbon (14 September 1943 – 24 March 1999) was a Nigerian general who served as the 6th Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters (second-in-command) under military head of state General Muhammadu Buhari from 198 ...

, the Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters and second in command to

Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician and current president of Nigeria since 2015. Buhari is a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the country's military head of state from 31 December 1983 to 27 A ...

, led a delegation to the Soviet Union to meet with Soviet leader

Konstantin Chernenko Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko uk, Костянтин Устинович Черненко, translit=Kostiantyn Ustynovych Chernenko (24 September 1911 – 10 March 1985) was a Soviet politician and the seventh General Secretary of the Commu ...

Since 1991

Nigeria and the newly formed Russian Federation established diplomatic relations in 1991. In March 2001, the

President of Nigeria The president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the head of state and head of government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Nigeri ...

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its presid ...

visited

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

. During that visit,

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

and Olusegun Obasanjo signed the declaration “On the Principles of Friendly Relations and Partnership Between the Russian Federation and the Federal Republic of Nigeria”, as well as a program of cooperation in bilateral and international formats between Russia and Nigeria. On June 24, 2009 Russian President Dmitry Medvedev made an official visit to Nigeria as part of a 3 nation tour of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. It was the first visit by any Russian leader to Nigeria.

Military cooperation

In 2017, Russia and Nigeria signed an agreement on military cooperation. Nigeria is interested in buying Russian military equipment. Nigeria has already signed a contract for the purchase of Mi-35 helicopters, six of which have already been delivered. In August 2021, Nigeria and Russia signed an agreement for the Russian Armed Forces to train and supply the

Nigerian Armed Forces The Nigerian Armed Forces (NAF) are the combined military forces of Nigeria. It consists of three uniformed service branches: the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, and Nigerian Air Force. The President of Nigeria functions as the commander-in-chief ...

. It was signed in

by Nigerian Minister of Defence

Bashir Salihi Magashi Bashir Salihi Magashi (born 1 October 1949) is a retired Nigerian army major general and current Defence Minister of Nigeria. He was appointed Governor of Sokoto State from August 1990 to January 1992 during the military regime of General Ibrahi ...

and Russian FSVTS Director Dmitry Shugaev.

Ambassadors

Russia to Nigeria

Nigeria to Russia

* George T. Kurubo (12 August 1967-1973) * Hamzat Ahmadu (1975–1978) *

Abdullahi Sarki Mukhtar Abdullahi Sarki Mukhtar (born 5 July 1949, in Kano State, Nigeria) was formerly the National security adviser to the president of Nigeria. Rtd Major General Mukhtar was also a former military governor of Kaduna state and Katsina State, in the ca ...

(January 23, 2002-May 30, 2003) *

Dan Suleiman Dan Suleiman (30 July 1942 – 1 February 2023) was a Nigerian Air Force officer and politician. He was a member of General Murtala Muhammed's supreme military council in Nigeria between July 1975 and March 1976, and was military governor of Pl ...

(2006-September 18, 2008) * Timothy Shelpidi (September 18, 2008-October 14, 2011) * Asam Ekanem Asam (2012 - 2015) * Steve Davies Ugbah (2018-2021) * Abdullahi Yibaikwal (2021-present)

References

External links

*
Documents on the Nigeria–Russia relationship from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
*
Embassy of Russia in Lagos

Embassy of Nigeria in Moscow
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nigeria-Russia relations Africa–Russia relations

Bilateral relations of Russia