The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has clarified the meeting he had with the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria.
Wike said the meeting centred on how the FCT can partner with Israel to develop its agriculture sector.
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The minister said he had no constitutional powers to determine Nigeria’s diplomatic relations with other countries, as such powers lie absolutely with the president and commander-in-chief, Bola Tinubu.
The minister, who made this known at a recent meeting with the leadership of the Abuja National Mosque Management Board, provided clarifications on his October 3, 2023, meeting with the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria and dismissed, as baseless and untrue, insinuations that he expressed support for Israel against Palestine.
Wike said, “I have heard from various social media platforms that we had a meeting and that we are doing this and that with Israel. I am here acting on the delegation of powers on behalf of Mr. President.
“I cannot determine a relationship between a country and another country. So, it is difficult for anybody to say I am doing this. I am doing that.
“Any foreign body that wants to have anything to do with Nigeria, it is the minister of foreign affairs who will write to me and state that these people want to see me; it is simple. And when they come, it is in my position to say, Look, we want to partner with you. For instance, if you are going into agriculture and we want to partner, then we will tell you where exactly,” he explained.
The minister said his meeting with the Israeli Ambassador was purely for agricultural partnership in the interest of farmers in the FCT.
According to the minister, “In Abuja, most of them have cultural farms, and we say, look, it is our desire to help anybody who wants to invest in Abuja, particularly in agriculture, to employ our people and to get more revenue. It has nothing to do with another country. It doesn’t work that way.
“When our people begin to think from different angles, they may not understand that it is not correct. So I would like to use this opportunity to say that we have to talk to our people. We must live harmoniously. We must live together to make sure that development is promoted”, he stated.
The Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, had on Tuesday, October 3, visited the FCT minister, days before Hamas attacked Israel and the consequent and continued retaliation by the Jewish nation.
However, despite the gap between the visit and the eruption of conflict between the group and Israel, some elements had accused Wike of offering Nigeria’s support to Israel.
Freeman had during the visit expressed his country’s willingness to work with Nigeria to generate employment opportunities for the unemployed population, transform Abuja into a technology hub, and engage in agricultural partnerships.
In response, Wike conveyed Nigeria’s commitment to partnering with Israel in the field of information technology with a plan to establish a technology village in Abuja.
He also highlighted the favourable climate in Abuja, suggesting a collaborative effort to create a large technology-driven farm that could employ many youths.
Furthermore, Wike sought Israel’s assistance in enhancing Nigeria’s technological security measures to strengthen national security.