The growing volume of Turkish investments in Nigeria and the very fact that those driving such businesses, the Turkish Group, are mostly admirers of the non-violent teachings of exiled Turkish Islamic scholar, Fethulah Gulen, who is a persona-non-grata in Turkey is the chief reason why Turkey government has turned to its community in Nigeria as suspects in the failed coup. Gulen, now in the United States, is being hunted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The President in the wake of the botched coup has asked the US to extradite him.
The Turkish Group in Nigeria employs over 2,000 Nigerians in education, hospitality, healthcare among other ventures and they preach non-violence, religious tolerance as does their role model, Gulen. Political Economist inquiries revealed that Erdogan’s government has been uncomfortable with the growing presence of Turkish community in Nigeria.
A member of the Turkish Group in Nigeria (name withheld) to our reporter that he cannot travel to Turkey without being arrested right from the airport. “Turkey is my country and I love my country but I cannot visit there for as long as Erdogan is in power. He has arrested and detained my father, an innocent old man, he is arresting anybody under the guise of his Reasonable Suspicion law”, he said.
When the coup story broke in Turkey, it had ripple effect in Nigeria as many Nigerian business people have made Turkey their second home and a good trading partner.
The National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has in recent years continued to ramp up trade ties with Turkey, the 18th largest economy in the world. NACCIMA President, Dr. Bassey Edem, who spoke recently at the Nigeria-Turkey business forum in Abuja said it was imperative for the countries to strengthen extant trade relations considering the huge trade volume built over the years.
“Nigeria and Turkey have over the years sought a way to fill the vacuum that exists between the two country’s trade relations, through signing bilateral agreements, organizing trade shows and exhibitions in Nigeria and Turkey to encourage both countries open up more trade and investment relations,” he said.
He said that the trade volume between the two countries which stood at $2.3 billion as at 2014, needs to be enhanced, hence the need for Turkish business partners to utilise the opportunity of the forum to further develop long term business relationship with Nigerian counterparts.
His words: “Even though Turkey currently has a comparative advantage with respect to trade relationship between it and Nigeria, we believe this could be balanced when our Turkish counterparts consider more of technology transfer by partnering with their Nigerian counterparts to invest in some specific sectors of the Nigerian economy most especially at this time that the Nigeria Government is very committed to the diversification of the economy from crude oil.”
But the botched coup in Turkey may put a serious dent on the relationship between both nations. Recently, the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs visited the Turkish ambassador in Nigeria to show their support for democracy in Turkey.
Addressing the Senators Ambassador Hakan Cakil called on the Nigerian government to close down 17 Turkish schools in the country.
They were linked, he said, to the alleged mastermind of the coup plot, Fethullah Gulen.
Mr Cakil said he had sent a letter to that effect to Nigeria’s minister of foreign affairs.
The deputy chairman of the committee, Shehu Sani, told the BBC that given the allegations the ambassador made – that the schools were used to “train terrorists” – Nigeria must investigate the matter before taking any action.
