Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has reaffirmed the country’s commitment to deepening bilateral relations with the State of Israel. This was contained in a statement signed by Dr. Magnus Eze, Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, Office of the Honourable Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Abuja.
The minister stated this when the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, paid her a courtesy visit in her office, at the Tafawa Balewa House, Abuja.
Their discussion cut across defence and intelligence, economic cooperation, consular, religious tourism, bilateral and multilateral relationships, among others.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said Nigeria has so much to learn from Israel in the area of border security management in view of the current fight against insulgency and terrorism in the country.
She noted that these would be possible if the Nigeria-Israel Joint Commission was operationalised.
The minister commended Israel for promising to donate about 60 fully equipped ambulances to Nigeria.
“These kinds of initiatives are very significant because we have a problem regarding first responders. For me, it’s just the beginning of integrating ambulance culture in Nigeria,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.
Ambassador Freeman remarked that Israel was desirous of strengthening bilateral relations with Nigeria, noting that the move is strategic as the most populous country in Africa.
He opined that the relationship between both countries would be strengthened through international dialogue and official visits between them.
Ambassador Freeman disclosed that his country was already working with the Federal Ministry of Health for the donation of fully-equiped ambulances to Nigeria.
“We want to donate 50-60 ambulances to Nigeria; starting with about three or four. This is a significant package to save lives. We will also make arrangements to train the people that are going to man them,” the Ambassador stated.
He also said that Israeli agricultural technology would be made available to Nigeria for food security.
Recall that Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel, Sharren Miriam Haskel-Harpaz, met August 11, last year in Abuja, for a comprehensive and productive Political Dialogue.
The meeting was a testament to the enduring and strategic partnership between Nigeria and Israel.
Parts of the joint communique from the August 2025 meeting had read: “The two countries agreed that the issue of security and terrorism was a global concern that requires the support and cooperation of every country. After outlining some of the security challenges, both countries emphasized the need to deepen collaborations in the area of counter-terrorism, intelligence, and sharing of information, especially in the area of financing and security training.
“They emphasized the need for stronger collaboration at the multilateral level, especially in solidarity on critical issues for each of the parties.
“Other areas of interest covered during the meeting included the mutual desire to cooperate in the areas of technology, innovation for border management, capacity building, culture, tourism, agriculture, consular and immigration matters.
“Both countries agreed that there should be an exchange of study tours between the countries.
“The two countries further agreed to a more robust bilateral relationship and to ensure constant dialogue in the future.”
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