By Stanley Onyekwere
FCT Minister, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, has dismissed as baseless and untrue, insinuations that he expressed support for Israel against Palestine, in the ongoing conflict ravaging both countries.
Wike made the assertion while providing clarifications on his October 3 meeting with the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria,Michael Freeman, in Abuja.
Speaking at a recent meeting with the leadership of the Abuja National Mosque Management Board, the Minister said he had no constitutional powers to determine Nigeria’s diplomatic relations with other countries, as such powers lies absolutely with the President and Commander-in-Chief.
“I have heard from various social media platforms that we had a meeting that we are doing this and that with Israel. I am here acting on 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. Take for instance, you are going into agriculture and we want to partner, then we tell you where exactly,” Wike explained.
However, the minister clarified that his meeting with the Israeli Ambassador was purely for agricultural partnership in the interest of farmers in the FCT.
According to him, “In Abuja here, most of them have cultural farms and we say look, it is our own desire to help anybody who wants to invest in Abuja particularly in agriculture in order to employ our people and in order to get more revenue. It has nothing to do with another country. It doesn’t work that way.
“When our people begin to now think different angles and people may not understand that it is not correct. So I will like to use this opportunity to say look we have to talk to our people. In fact we must live harmoniously. We must live together to make sure that development is promoted.”
The Israeli envoy to Nigeria,, had on Tuesday October 3 visited the FCT minister, days before the Hamas’ attack on Israel and the consequent and continued retaliation by the Jewish nation.
However, in spite of 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, which Wike conveyed commitment to partnering with Israel in the field of Information Technology with a plan to establish a technology village and boosting agricultural development in Abuja.
