King Abdullah II of Jordan in New York on Wednesday
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.
“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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