King Abdullah II of Jordan Wednesday in
New York donated military hardware to Nigeria and pledged to supply
additional helicopters to the country to bolster its fight against
terrorism...
A statement by President Muhammadu
Buhari’s chief spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, said Buhari thanked King
Abdullah for the donations on Tuesday at the ongoing 72nd Session of the
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
He said Buhari described the donation of
200 armoured fighting vehicles to Nigeria by King Abdullah as a
reflection of his kingdom’s “true concern for Nigeria’s security
situation and genuine goodwill towards a friendly nation”.
Adesina added that Buhari reassured the
Jordanian king of Nigeria’s commitment towards the “proposed Aqaba
Process with countries in the Gulf, 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”.
He also said the president pledged
Nigeria’s continued desire for enhanced bilateral ties with the
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, adding that the king told Buhari that his
National Security Adviser would soon be working out the final details of
the Aqaba Process with his Nigerian counterpart.
According to him, the Jordanian King had
earlier informed Buhari that his kingdom would open an embassy in Abuja
in the next few months, and expressed appreciation to the Nigerian
government for its support.
“Soon after President Buhari took office
in 2015, the Jordanian king had offered a hand of friendship,
cooperation and support to Nigeria in its fight against terrorism and
the 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.
“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
Cameroun, 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.
“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,” the statement added.
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