The Embassy of Israel in Nigeria on Monday donated some food items to support some Muslim families in the ongoing Ramadan fasting in the country.
Yotam Kreiman, Charge d’ Affairs of Israel to Nigeria, who presented the items in Abuja, said that the items worth 260,000 meals was to support about 1,800 families.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the items donated included some bags of rice, beans, maize, groundnut oil, pasta among others.
The envoy said that the items were put together to further deepen ties between Israel and Nigeria.
Mr Kreiman said that lessons from the Holy Books during month of Ramadan often reminded people of their needs to always be kind, helpful and thoughtful, especially as the world slowly recovered and battled with COVID-19 pandemic.
According to him, it is important to lend helping hands and lead by showing good example, as enshrined in the Holy Books.
“We want to strengthen Israel-Nigeria relationship, not that existing one is not great, we are marking 60-years of wonderful diplomatic friendship and we have more to do together.
“More chances to grow, whether it is in the field of innovation, security or even assistance to those in need and this is what we are doing here today,” he said.
According to him, towards the end of this Ramadan month and at the end of COVID-19, which is a difficult time worldwide, we find opportunities to give and to donate.
“This is why there is growth in the numbers of food items, when compared to the previous year.
“We are joined together by organisations from Europe and of course the embassy and Chabad without which the donation would not have been possible,” he said.
He said that the gesture was in furtherance of the good works by the National Mosque on support to families in need, therefore the choice of Muslim community.
He noted that more would be done in terms of sustaining its ongoing programmes on innovation, establishment of e-learning centres and ecosystems, to deepen diplomatic relations between Israel and Nigeria.
Receiving the food items, an Imam from Abuja National Mosque, Dr Muhammad Adam, expressed appreciation to Israel for the gesture.
“On behalf of Nigerian Muslims I will like to thank Israel, especially those who are living with us here in Nigeria.
“Nigeria is a friendly country and we are friends to the entire world; we receive everybody regardless of his or her belief, tradition or geographical location.
“These will go a long way to providing avenues for peace and mutual understanding and to continue a peaceful approach to doing this is much better than violence,” Adam said.
Meanwhile, Rabbi Israel Uzan, Rabbi of Israel to Nigeria, stressed that there was the need for people to live in accordance with the dictates of the Holy Books.
He noted that by so doing children learn to imbibe importance of mutual co-existence, saying when we live in peace together, we will find solution to everything in life.
“We have to educate our children to learn to imbibe mutual co-existence together; when we live in peace together, we will find a solution to everything.
“It is only through peace that the world can best be developed and sustained in unity,” Uzan said.
The items were put together by Israeli embassy in collaboration with ChabadAid, King of Kings, Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, Alliance of Rabbis in Muslim States, RCC, BEX, MAG Technologies and Heritage Bank.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that ChabadAid is a humanitarian programme of the Jewish community.
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