The Prime Minister of Nigeria 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.

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.

[3] In January 1970, Nigerian Ambassador George Kurubo praised the Soviet military aid, saying that it "more than any other single thing—more than all other things together" contributed to the government victory.

On June 24, 2009 Russian President Dmitry Medvedev made an official visit to Nigeria as part of a 3 nation tour of Africa.

[11] It was signed in Moscow by Nigerian Minister of Defence Bashir Salihi Magashi and Russian FSVTS Director Dmitry Shugaev.