I have seen the level that Nigerians are ‘coordinatedly’ bridged in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. We are not many but we represent incredible quality. I thank you for what you have been doing. I thank you for representing Nigeria with incredible credibility. – Ambassador Yabo
Since his appointment by President Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s vicegerent to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Ambassador Faruk Malami Yabo presented his Letter of Credence to His Majesty Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, at Basman Palace in Amman, capital of the Middle Eastern, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. And because he is not aloof to the task ahead of him, Yabo set the wheel of work in motion to represent and project Nigeria with the best of his ability.
Yabo was tickled by the federal government’s charge that Ambassadors, “…are going to represent this country (Nigeria). A lot of the narratives are not always positive about our country, and very often, about our ministry. So, you have huge responsibility on your shoulders. You are going out to represent Nigeria during very difficult days. These are very difficult days for our country. And sometimes, I worry for your generation because you are faced with huge challenges within the country and outside the country. And as the best brains that we have, it will now rest on your shoulders to transform the narratives, to transform the narratives about Nigeria, to transform the narratives about our ministry, to transform the narratives about our missions,” a task he had prepared himself for and as an international entrepreneur, he was equipped with the knowledge of Nigeria’s challenges. He has also always discussed about ways to tackle the nation’s perennial problems.
Amb. Faruk at Eid-lunch with members of Nigerian community in Amman, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan ⇒
Ambassador Yabo was set “to transform the narratives, to transform the narratives about Nigeria, to transform the narratives about our ministry, to transform the narratives about our missions,” expected of him as the new Nigerian Ambassador to Jordan. One of the first few things he did was to interface with Nigerian community there. He hosted them to a lunch during Eid-el-Fitr, an occasion at which members of the community that attended, poured encomiums on the man they had not interacted with as a viceroy. His intimidating profile, for them, spoke of a messiah from who they expect a transformation of the diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Jordan and, especially regarding certain protracted challenges that Nigerians in Jordan were facing.
At the Nigerian Embassy, tagged “Nigeria House”, each member of the community, though simply expected introduce himself to the ambassador, were taken over by his humility and evident posture to solve Nigerians’ issues in Jordan and poured encomiums on him. They each spoke ‘sterlingly’ about the new ambassador they have seen in Yabo. Coincidentally too, one of them, Imam Musa Toukure said his father hailed from Sokoto in Nigeria, went to Jordan some over 100 years ago where he was born. According to Toukure, his father died in Jordan when he was six months. He has never as a result, visited Sokoto. He and his children, who also attended the lunch, expressed their wish to visit their ancestral home in Sokoto one day.
The spokesperson of the Nigerian community in Jordan, Dr Kabiru Yahaya who has been in Jordan for seven years and who spoke on behalf of all Nigerian citizens in Jordan said, “This is the best moments we have had in the past years. This is the first time we have had to good time with any Ambassador and of this calibre. We now have an opportunity to have someone that has the credentials to strengthen bilateral relations.”
According to Dr Yahaya, Nigerians were having difficult times in Jordan because getting visa to Jordan from Nigeria has been an issue, including being unable to acquire visa to travel to Nigeria. “Even parents that have children as students here, find it difficult to visit their children in Jordan. As Nigerian community, the first and foremost issue we would like you to solve is to work assiduously with Jordanian authorities to resolve this. We have confidence with the Ambassador that you will pay adequate attention to this problem. We also know that since Jordan is coming up as a country to reckon with in the Middle East, His Excellency will harness the enormous potentials that are here to partner with Nigeria in terms of business and entrepreneurship.”
Building confidence Nigerian community
Addressing his community, Ambassador Yabo first thanked Nigerians in Jordan for expressing ‘reposed’ confidence in him and building hope in his new leadership at the Embassy as well as how they received him since his arrival in Amman.
⇐ Amb. Yabo in a group photo with female members of Nigerian community in Amman, Hashimite Kingdom of Jordan
“One of the most important core mandates given to me by Mr President as his principal envoy to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is to make sure that Nigerians living in Jordan and Nigerians coming to Jordan are treated with respect, care and dignity. I assure you that I will not grow short of that. I have seen the level that Nigerians are ‘coordinatedly’ bridged in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. We are not many but we represent incredible quality. I thank you for what you have been doing. I thank you for representing Nigeria with incredible credibility.
“I have looked at the number of Nigerians that are living here; they are quite few. I am promising you that Nigerians will be treated fairly. Nigerians are generally law-abiding but a few of us that have gone astray should be corrected softly.
So, I promise this community that, with the help of Jordanian government, we will make sure that all our citizens that are currently in distress, will be salvaged by the Grace of God,” the viceroy assured them
He also assured them that the consular concerns they raised were also of concern to him against which the Embassy would take steps to, not only resolve pending passport request issues but also ensure the establishment, by the Jordanian authorities, of diplomatic mission in Nigeria.
“I have also listened to your consular concerns. They are also of great concern to me. We will make sure that very soon we will call for an intervention that will resolve the pending passports requests issues. I also made it very clear, when I visited the foreign affairs ministry that Jordan should have asymbiotic relationship with Nigeria by establishing a Diplomatic Mission in Nigeria. The King had made that pledge some years back and I will ensure that that pledge is redeemed, as soon as possible. The relationship between Nigeria and Jordan has come a long way; I believe since in the sixties and that good relationship has been positively sustained.”
President Buhari’s visits
The Ambassador told the community that though a rare opportunity for any mission, president Buhari had visited Jordan two times and assured that before the end of his tenure, he will be back. “I promise you that if Mr President visits this country again, his whole community will be with me to make sure you welcome him and also share your concerns with him.”
Challenges
Yabo drew the community’s attention to the fact that the globe, with Nigeria not being an exception, has challenges, including those of COVID-19, insecurity, economic doldrum, etc.
“We will not deceive ourselves; our country is at crossroads. But not only is our country but the continent and the world have challenges. The whole world is having challenges with COVID-19 pandemic, economic down turn and insensitive nature of extremism and their tendencies. We see extremists even in advanced countries. Initially, it used to be one set of extremism, but now it falls off from everywhere.”
Cross-border cohesion
The Ambassador expressed happiness with the level of inter-religious, cultural, professional and other cross-border cohesion that exists in Jordan is what he expects to be seen, particularly in Nigeria. “I am assuring you that with what I am seeing in Jordan – cohesive Imams, Priests, top level of professionals, students, is what Nigeria ought to be. What I am celebrating here is what I will make sure I propagate with the rest of my colleagues, because this is what Nigeria should be. I mentioned to a few of you when they visited me that the challenges we are having are not as much as they are being amplified. Whenever you have a technological transition, you also expect a backlash. Ten to 15 years ago before our banking system was transformed to be world class, when you watch CNN, you see that Nigeria’s financial system has risen to be one of the best. Even a local grocery seller now uses cashless system.
Good governance, transparency and Accountability
“Government’s financial systems called Treasury Single Account, TSA, has made it difficult for thieves to steal public funds. As a result of the fact that there is no cash available to steal, the normal thieves who constitute less than 0000.1% of the society, have now resorted to sponsoring kidnapping so that families of victims will have to pay ransom to anonymous individuals before the kidnap victims are released.
“The same technology they have taken advantage of to commit crimes, is being used by Buhari administration to tackle those crimes; I am assuring you that.
Terrorism/insurgency
“Before Buhari’s administration came in in 2015, everywhere in Nigeria was under siege by terrorists. But the situation was comprehensively confronted in the sense that Nigerians began to feel safe. In the Eastern part of Nigeria for example, over 16 local government areas were occupied by Boko Haram insurgents. Today, those local governments are now free. Now, when you have agitation for disintegration, every criminal element feels triggered,” Ambassador Yabo told the elated Nigerians.
All guests to the Eid-lunch left happy that a Messiah was in town; a change-maker had arrived and a community-friendly person had come to salvage a people living in a distant country with what seemed to be “insoluble” challenges.
