The Permanent Secretary Of Nigeria’s State House, Tijjani Umar says countries around the world must maintain cordial ties, as they face different challenges.
Umar made the declaration in Abuja on Monday at a reception for some aides of President Muhammadu Buhari, who were recently honoured by the government of the Republic of Niger.
The Permanent Secretary noted with satisfaction that Nigeria has sustained cordiality with her neighbours, adding that the emergence of COVID-19 and the Russia/Ukraine war have further buttressed the need for countries to cooperate with one another.
“The COVID-19, climate change and lately the Russian/Ukraine war and therefore population round the world has been impacted negatively. Security-wise, you know, poverty, hunger, and so on and so forth. And it’s very important for neighbours to keep each other’s backs.
“And I think Nigeria has done greatly by staying close to its neighbours, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and the Benin Republic. Specifically, our two colleagues have taken it forward both officially and unofficially, but principally officially to continue to engage and to improve these wonderful bilateral relations between Nigeria and Niger.
“As a result, the President of Niger Republic deemed it fit to honour them with the national office of the Republic of Niger. And I was fortunate and privileged to be on the delegation accompanying them to receive their awards, Your Excellency, you, aware of this. And today, I think we should share this glory. And then to look them in the face and say, congratulations for keeping the Nigerian flag flying on the diplomatic front, on all fronts. And this is going to go down in history as you know Nigeria’s greatest achievement in trying to improve relations with its neighbours.”
Also speaking at the event, the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari said the honour done for the recipients was well deserved.
He hailed Nigeria’s foreign policy under the Buhari administration, saying that has helped a lot in securing the country.
“This honour is not just to our brothers who have been honoured with the highest national civilian honour of Niger. Congratulations. Very well deserved, and you are among those who are honoured this honour is to those who deserve it, who are here with us today, but also to our principal, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who I have the honour, to be brought back, he tells everybody brought me back after 35 years, to come and continue where we stopped.
“Our interests, our efforts, will be concentrated on promoting Nigeria’s interests in concentric circles at the epicentre, the defence of Nigeria’s integrity, this prosperity, the welfare of his people. But next is the neighbouring countries, then West Africa, then Africa, and then the rest of the world. And he has proved the continuity of Nigeria’s foreign policy in this sense by the fact that the first countries he visited after being sworn in are the neighbouring countries.
“If you recall, those of you who are also privileged to start with him in the reincarnation as a democratically elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and so not just by that visit, but concrete times, because he recognized that the prosperity and security of Nigeria depend on the prosperity and security of our neighbouring countries,” he said.
Responding on behalf of those honoured, the State Chief of Protocol, Lawal Kazaure dedicated the award to President Buhari, whom he said mentored them to be so honoured.
“Myself and my colleague dedicate all these honours to our boss, our mentor, the person who has exposed us both locally and internationally for us to be seen to be worthy of being honored.
“If not for Mr. President, I’m sure we wouldn’t have known ourselves here. So whatever happens to us, I think the gratitude, the appreciation goes to our boss, Mr. President, because it is because of him we were given this award. As our boss, in short, the award is not to us; me and Sarki Abba but Mr President because of his pedigree, because of who he is or who he has been that those of us around him were assumed to also be worthy of being given this award. We’re really, really grateful to Mr President.”
The Niger Republic had during its National Day celebration recently honoured two aides of President Buhari, Sarki Abba, an aide on Household and Domestic Affairs and Lawal Kazaure, the State Chief of Protocol. They were honoured alongside two Nigerian business moguls, Aliko Dangote and Abdulsamad Rabiu as well as the Governors of Zamfara and Jigawa States.
The awards were in two categories, the ‘Order of Merit of Niger’ and ‘Great Master of National Awards.’
PIAK
