President Muhammadu Buhari has 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.
The President gave the appreciation during a bilateral meeting with King Abdullah II on Tuesday, shortly after his address to the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
He 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 the nation’s willingness to play a leading role in bringing together countries in the West African sub-region into the collective security arrangement.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by his Special Adviser on media and publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, the President pledged Nigeria’s continued desire for enhanced bilateral ties with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Earlier, the Jordanian King had 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 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.
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.
According to the statement, the 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 third 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.
