President Muhammadu Buhari
Tuesday in New York thanked the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for its support to
Nigeria’s campaign against terrorism and insurgency with the donation of
military hardware and pledge to further supply helicopters.
Speaking during a bilateral
meeting with King Abdullah II shortly after his address to the 72nd Session of
the United Nations General Assembly, the President said the very expensive
donation of about 200 Armoured Fighting Vehicles “reflects true concern for
Nigeria’s security situation and genuine goodwill towards a friendly nation.”
President Buhari also reassured
King Abdullah of Nigeria’s commitment towards the proposed Aqaba Process with
countries in the region as well as Nigeria’s willingness to play a leading role
in bringing together countries in the West African sub-region into this
collective security arrangement.
The President pledged Nigeria’s
continued desire for enhanced bilateral ties with the Hashemite Kingdom of
Jordan.
The Jordanian King had earlier
informed the Nigerian President that his Government was in the process of
opening an embassy in Abuja in the next few months, and appreciated the support
being extended to his country by the Nigerian government in this regard.
He told President Buhari that his
National Security Adviser would soon be working out the finer details of the
Aqaba Process with his Nigerian counterpart.
President Buhari was accompanied
to the bilateral meeting, the third of its kind since the inception of the
current administration, by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey
Onyeama, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno
(Rtd), and Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Professor
Tijjani Bande.
It would be recalled that soon
after President Buhari took office in 2015, the Jordanian King had offered a
hand of friendship, cooperation and support for Nigeria in its fight against
terrorism and insurgency. This resulted in the National Security Adviser
undertaking two visits to Jordan to follow up on issues previously discussed
with the King, and the donation of military hardware and pledge of further
support.
These gestures are aimed at
enhancing Nigeria’s operational capabilities in the fight against terror both
within the country and the Lake Chad Basin which affects neighbouring Cameroon,
Chad and Niger where the Multinational Joint Task Force is engaging the Boko
Haram insurgents and terrorists.
The National Security Adviser’s
second trip to Jordan on the invitation of the King in January 2016 to attend
the 3rd Aqaba Process, also resulted in a renewed commitment between the two
countries to consider multilateral action in confronting the menace of
terrorism by replicating the Aqaba arrangement which the Kingdom of Jordan has
with East African countries battling protracted terrorist menace.
Nigeria has agreed to work with
countries in the region on a similar arrangement with Jordan. It is anticipated
that the first Aqaba Process for Nigeria and sister countries within the sub-region
with Jordan will be held in late November or early December 2017.
FEMI ADESINA
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
September 20, 2017.
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