Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, has reaffirmed the country’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with the State of Israel.
The minister made this statement during a courtesy visit to her office in Abuja by the Israeli ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman.
Their discussion covered a wide range of topics, including defence and intelligence, economic cooperation, consular affairs, religious tourism, and bilateral and multilateral relationships.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu stated that Nigeria has a lot to learn from Israel in terms of border security management, given the country’s current fight against insurgency and terrorism.
She stated that these would be possible if the Nigeria-Israel Joint Commission were operational.
The minister commended Israel for promising to donate approximately 60 fully equipped ambulances to Nigeria.
“These types of initiatives are very important because we have a problem with first responders. For me, this is only the beginning of integrating ambulance culture in Nigeria,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu stated.
Ambassador Freeman stated that Israel wanted to strengthen bilateral relations with Nigeria, noting that the move was strategic given Nigeria’s status as Africa’s most populous country.
He believes that international dialogue and official visits will strengthen the relationship between the two countries.
Ambassador Freeman stated that his country is already working with the Federal Ministry of Health to donate fully equipped ambulances to Nigeria.
“We want to donate 50-60 ambulances to Nigeria, beginning with about three or four. This is a significant package that will save lives. We will also make arrangements to train the people who will operate them,” the ambassador stated.
He also stated that Israel’s agricultural technology would be made available to Nigeria for food security.
Recall that on August 11 last year, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and Israel’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sharren Miriam Haskel-Harpaz, met in Abuja for a comprehensive and productive political dialogue.
The meeting demonstrated Nigeria’s and Israel’s long-term, strategic partnership.
Parts of the joint communique from the August 2025 meeting stated, “The two countries agreed that the issue of security and terrorism was a global concern that required the support and cooperation of all countries.” After outlining some of the security challenges, both countries emphasised the importance of strengthening collaborations in counter-terrorism, intelligence, and information sharing, particularly in terms of financing and security training.
“They emphasised the need for increased multilateral cooperation, particularly in solidarity on critical issues for each of the parties.
“Other areas of interest discussed during the meeting included the mutual desire to collaborate in the areas of technology, border management innovation, capacity building, culture, tourism, agriculture, consular and immigration issues.
“Both countries agreed to exchange study tours.
“The two countries further agreed to strengthen their bilateral relationship and maintain constant dialogue in the future.”
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