NIGERIA: Tinubu Arrives Brazil For State Visit, To Hold Talks With President Lula

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria

President Bola Tinubu arrived in Brasília, Brazil, on Monday to begin a state visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.

The President, who flew in from Los Angeles, United States, was received at the Brasília Air Base by senior Brazilian officials, including Ambassador Carlos Sérgio Sobral Duarte, Secretary for Africa and the Middle East, and Ambassador Carlos José Areias Moreno Garcete, Brazil’s envoy to Nigeria.

According to the statement announcing the development, made available on Monday by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Nigeria’s Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu, was also at the Air Base to welcome the President.

On arrival at his hotel, President Tinubu was received by ministers, heads of key government agencies, and members of the private sector who will participate in bilateral talks and the signing of Memoranda of Understanding during the visit.

An official welcoming ceremony with full military honours is scheduled to hold at the Planalto Palace, where President Tinubu will be hosted by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The two leaders will hold private talks before an expanded bilateral meeting with senior officials from both governments. They are also expected to witness the signing of MoUs and address a joint press conference.

During the visit, President Tinubu will meet with the President of the Brazilian Senate, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, and the President of the Supreme Federal Court. He will also attend the Nigeria-Brazil Business Forum as part of a packed programme in Brasília.

Nigeria and Brazil share diplomatic relations dating back to the early 1960s. Brazil was the only Latin American country to participate in Nigeria’s independence celebrations in 1960, while Nigeria established its Embassy in Brazil in 1966.

Since Tinubu’s inauguration in May 2023, the two nations have deepened cooperation through high-level engagements. The President led Nigeria’s delegation to the BRICS Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro in July 2025 and attended the G20 Summit in Brazil in November 2024 at the invitation of President Lula.

In June 2025, Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and his wife visited Abuja for the Second Session of the Mechanism for Strategic Dialogue, which produced seven MoUs covering defence, energy, tourism, livestock development, and counternarcotics cooperation.

Brazil also plays a key role in Nigeria’s food security programme. A $2.5 billion investment by JBS, signed in 2024 during the G20 Summit, is expected to strengthen supply chains, boost local prouction, and create jobs for Nigerian youth.

The Green Imperative Programme, a $1.1 billion agricultural mechanisation project launched in 2019, also remains a central pillar of cooperation. The initiative seeks to provide 10,000 tractors and 50,000 units of farm equipment for assembly in Nigeria.

President Tinubu’s latest visit is expected to build on these foundations and expand Nigeria-Brazil ties in critical sectors including agriculture, trade, energy, and defence.