Tinubu Arrives in Brazil for State Visit, to Seal Bilateral Deals

By Ibrahim Kegbegbe

Abuja, Nigeria – 25 August, 2025

President Bola Tinubu on Monday arrived in Brasília, Brazil, to begin a state visit expected to deepen Nigeria’s economic and diplomatic ties with the South American nation.

Tinubu, who flew in from Los Angeles, United States, was received at the Brasília Air Base by senior Brazilian government officials, including Ambassador Carlos Sérgio Sobral Duarte, Secretary for Africa and the Middle East, and Brazil’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Carlos José Areias Moreno Garcete. Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu, was also part of the welcoming party.

Speaking on the significance of the visit, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the trip would consolidate the “longstanding and cordial relations” between the two countries.

“President Tinubu’s state visit to Brazil is not just a diplomatic gesture; it is a working mission to secure Nigeria’s food future, expand trade opportunities, and strengthen bilateral cooperation in key areas such as defence, energy, and technology,” Onanuga said.

The official welcoming ceremony, complete with military honours, will take place at the Planalto Palace, where Tinubu is scheduled to meet Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Both leaders are expected to hold a private meeting before chairing an expanded bilateral session involving senior officials from both governments.

Onanuga confirmed that a number of agreements will be signed during the visit. “The two leaders will witness the signing of several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering areas like defence cooperation, agriculture, and energy. These agreements are designed to deliver tangible benefits to Nigerians through food security programmes, job creation, and industrial development,” he said.

Tinubu is also billed to meet with the leadership of Brazil’s Senate, Chamber of Deputies, and Supreme Federal Court, as well as engage with the private sector at the Nigeria-Brazil Business Forum.

Nigeria and Brazil established diplomatic ties in 1966, with Brazil notably being the only Latin American country present at Nigeria’s independence celebrations in 1960.

Recent engagements have strengthened this relationship. Tinubu attended the BRICS Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro in July 2025 and the G20 Summit in Brazil in November 2024, while high-level exchanges between ministers of both countries have produced seven new MoUs earlier this year.

Brazil has also committed to significant investments in Nigeria’s food security agenda, including a $2.5 billion partnership with JBS for sustainable food supply chains and job creation, as well as the $1.1 billion Green Imperative Programme launched in 2019 to provide 10,000 tractors and 50,000 farm implements for local assembly.

“The partnership with Brazil is crucial to our food security drive,” Onanuga added. “What we are seeing now is the translation of these diplomatic ties into real economic opportunities that will touch the lives of ordinary Nigerians.”