.…In six months i’ve spent, Nigeria certainly has security issues, says Israeli Envoy.
The Israeli ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, has expressed the desire of his country to assist Nigeria fight the worsening insecurity across the country.
Freeman disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday, when the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, hosted him with few workers of the embassy to a private engagement and dinner, Hotmedia.ng gathered.
He said that apart from helping Nigeria on intelligence gathering and training of security personnel, Israel will be relying on the Nigerian government to specify other areas of needs it needed their assistance.
“I’ve been in the country for only six months and I’m beginning to learn and understand the wonderful country and people of Nigeria.
We are looking to see where we can partner with Nigeria. Certainly on security issues, on agriculture and on technology. And we’re looking to see where but it’s for the government and for the people of Nigeria to point us in the direction where we can help them work together.
“But as the senator said, certainly in areas of training and in areas of others we’ve been, we would be very interested in sharing best practice and sharing intelligence. We would certainly be interested in working together,” he said.
Earlier in his remarks, Kalu expressed the readiness of the Senate to support the collaboration between Israel and Nigeria to curb insecurity in the country in aspects of ammunition and training.
Kalu, however, pointed out two key areas of agriculture and security, which he said Nigeria must tap from Israel to address the nation’s food security and other security concerns.
“This ambassador is barely six months here. And we at the Senate will do everything possible to make sure the next appropriation will focus on Israel, and Israel will come over to give us important training in areas of security.
“We are doing everything possible to maintain our relationship with the Israelis and then. You know? The Israeli history is a successful history. And if Nigeria can learn two things from the Israelis, which are security and agriculture, we shall make a lot of progress and we’ll go a long way.
“I don’t want to talk too much about what Israelis can do. I have one of the agricultural companies that revolutionised Agriculture in the northern part of Nigeria in terms of equipment and all, “Sotadan Suki” used to be their chairman and I hope that we can find common ground with the Israeli companies.
The government and people should talk about two things –agriculture and security,” he said.
