Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory Minister, has indicated a keen interest in establishing alliances with Israel, with a particular focus on agriculture and bolstering security in the nation’s capital.
Wike shared this during a courtesy visit by Mr. Michael Freeman, the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, to the Minister’s office in Abuja on Tuesday.
Wike pointed out that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) offered a favourable environment for agriculture, mentioning that the FCT Administration (FCTA) was preparing to create farms within the territory and involve young people to provide them with meaningful employment opportunities.
He gave his word to the ambassador that the FCTA would persist in creating a conducive atmosphere for investors to conduct lawful business activities within the Federal Capital Territory.
Wike addressed the issue of security by noting that, like many major cities across the globe, the FCT encountered security challenges and showed readiness to forge partnerships with Israel to bolster security.
Wike said, ‘Yes, we have had one or two setbacks in terms of security threats, but like you know, security issues are everywhere, and we are working very hard to see that we nip in the bud, anything that will give us any negative publicity.’
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‘You know all over the world, nobody can say you can have one hundred per cent security, you know it’s not possible. But we will try as much as we can, anywhere we can collaborate and work together to help us reduce some level of insecurity in the city. But be assured that we are willing to work’.
Additionally, the minister commented on the recent newspaper publication identifying embassies, high commissions, and government agencies with unpaid ground rent. He reiterated that the government’s actions were geared toward increasing internally generated revenue in the FCT and were not designed to target any particular entities.
He said ‘We are also trying to enhance our internally generated revenue to be able to cater for the developmental needs of our people. So, it is not to embarrass any embassy or commission but rather to draw the attention that this has not been complied with.’
Freeman, in his statement, assured that the Israeli embassy was firmly committed to complying with the extant rules and regulations in the FCT. Furthermore, he informed the minister about an ongoing capacity-building project tailored for young Nigerian entrepreneurs and innovators representing various regions of the nation.
‘We have a six-month programme where we take young Nigerian entrepreneurs and innovators from across the country. We bring them deliberately to Abuja because we say this is the capital, to help train them and give them mentorship from Israel and from local Nigerians, to help them to build their company, to create jobs, to create work and afterwards, we give them the opportunity for funding and finance to grow them’, he said