The outgoing Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, has said the future of Nigeria-Israel relations holds immense promise, expressing confidence that stronger collaboration in innovation, agriculture, healthcare, artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship can unlock new opportunities.
Reflecting on his four-year diplomatic mission, he said the “sky is the limit” if both countries continue to build partnerships that address shared challenges and drive sustainable development.
“I think there’s enormous untapped potential. When we look at some of the major challenges that Nigeria is facing and look at the opportunities that Israel is willing to work on and has offered to work on, it’s phenomenal. Imagine Nigerian startups using Israeli technology to solve African problems. Joint research between Israeli and Nigerian farmers and agricultural experts to tackle food problems and climate change.
“Israeli and Nigerian entrepreneurs working together to build companies that can create jobs for thousands, if not millions, of people. Young innovators of Israel and young innovators from Nigeria working together to solve problems that today seem impossible, but yet we will be able to solve them together. So many different areas that I think we will be able to work together and develop. The sky is the limit, and that will be very clear over the next few years,” he said.
Highlighting several partnership initiatives, Freeman said Israel has expanded cooperation with Nigeria in healthcare, agriculture, innovation, entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence and education, with a focus on building local capacity, creating jobs and supporting long-term development.
“In healthcare, we’ve brought over some doctors and had them working with Nigerian doctors to help train them. We want to see more Nigerian doctors coming over to Israel to learn and build capacity. My dream—Israel is a great destination for health tourism, and many Nigerians come to Israeli hospitals for treatment where our hospitals are top of the world—my dream is that no Nigerian ever has to come to Israel. Not because they are not choosing to come, but because they don’t need to, because all of the top hospitals are based here in Nigeria. We want to work with Nigeria to build that capacity.
“My dream is that Nigeria no longer has a challenge in the area of food security, but rather is the food basket for not only West Africa, but the whole of Africa. Using Israeli technology and Israeli agricultural skills, we can create a dynamic where millions of Nigerians are working in farming using Israeli technology and seedlings, growing enough food not only for themselves, but for the whole continent.
“I think there’s huge potential in innovation. We’ve run our iFair program, which has created thousands of jobs and millions of dollars of outside investment. We want to see that grow and develop. This year, we started working on AI, bringing AI from Israel to here. We want to see an African voice in AI, and we want to see that African voice being developed from Nigeria. We want to show that AI creates jobs and doesn’t take jobs away,” he highlighted.
Reflecting on his tenure, Freeman said his greatest achievement was laying the foundation for long-term partnerships through investments in people and future-focused initiatives.
“I think when I look back at my time in Nigeria, for me, it’s about the partnerships that we’ve set up, the investment in people, the investment in the future, and the investment in what can be done,” he shared.
The ambassador expressed confidence that the partnerships established during his tenure would continue to grow after his departure, stressing that Israel’s engagement with Nigeria is driven by a long-term national commitment rather than any individual diplomat. He said the Israeli government remains committed to strengthening ties with Africa, particularly Nigeria, through sustained collaboration in key development sectors.
“Absolutely. There is no question that these things will develop and continue. There is a deep commitment from the State of Israel, from the embassy, and from the team—the ambassador who will replace me and my deputy ambassador who’s going to be Chargé for a bit. It’s a deep commitment to continue this. This is not about Ambassador Freeman; it’s not about Michael who happens to be here. Yes, I’ve created a dynamic, but this is a deep commitment from the State of Israel, from the Prime Minister, and from Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’er, who has mentioned over and over again the importance of Africa and the importance of Nigeria. There’s no question that will continue to develop and move forward because it’s a commitment,” he assured.
He also stressed that Israel’s approach is centred on partnerships rather than aid, arguing that lasting development comes from transferring technology, skills and expertise. According to him, empowering Nigerians with knowledge and innovation is the most effective way to build a stronger society and secure a better future.
“I would add one thing: I don’t believe in aid. I know that sounds strange, but I don’t believe in aid because, yes, you can give some aid, but the main focus needs to be creating a dynamic where it’s a partnership and where we’re transferring technology. We are one of the few countries in the world that believe in transferring technology and know-how as part of what we do. We believe that once you transfer that, you are creating a better society and a better future, and that’s what we’ve been doing,” Freeman added.
Speaking on security cooperation, Freeman said Nigeria and Israel have deepened collaboration in addressing terrorism, violent extremism and other shared security challenges.
Although he declined to discuss operational details, he said Israel remains committed to working with Nigeria whenever called upon, describing the relationship as one founded on friendship and a shared commitment to safeguarding citizens.
“Both countries are facing radical extremism, terror, and violence aimed at citizens. Both countries have suffered from the interference of Iran within the country, influencing different terror groups and other organizations. For us, we want to work with our friends. Nigeria is a friend, and we have been deepening our relationship in many different areas. As you say, I’m not going to go into what that means or how that is, but certainly, when our friends ask us to work together on security challenges, that’s always something we’re willing to do.”
Speaking on the October 7 attacks, Ambassador Freeman described them as Israel’s darkest day in living memory, saying Israel had largely achieved its objectives against Hamas in Gaza while efforts to bring those responsible to justice would continue. He also accused Iran of fuelling instability across the Middle East through its support for armed groups.
“October 7th was the darkest day in living memory for Israel; it was the greatest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. It traumatized Israel. When we look back at that, the answer to that question is that from the perspective of Hamas and Gaza, that issue has been largely resolved. There are still Hamas terrorists who are still terrorizing the population within Gaza, doing evil things, and planning further terror attacks. All of those people involved in October 7th will get justice in the end because it’s the right thing to do, and that’s what we promised to all of those who were murdered, raped, tortured, and kidnapped on October 7th.
“The bigger picture is still a challenge. The bigger picture is still Iran. The tyrants of Tehran are still causing havoc in the Middle East. Whether with the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas, or any of these terror groups, they are destabilizing the region. We’ve seen even in the last couple of weeks that Iran is firing rockets at Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and all of its neighbors. Iran is the major force of destabilization,” he asserted.
Addressing criticism over civilian casualties in Gaza, Freeman insisted Israel’s military actions were both militarily and morally justified, arguing that Hamas bears responsibility for civilian deaths by operating from civilian infrastructure and using the population as human shields.
“It’s more than militarily justified; it’s morally justified. Israel took its actions after October 7th in order to ensure that they could never do this again. Unfortunately, in any war, as we know, there’s never been a war where innocents haven’t died. Innocents die in war; it’s a tragedy, and it’s terrible. We’ve done everything we possibly could in order to minimize civilian casualties and minimize those people being hurt.
“When Hamas is hiding in hospitals, using schools as bases, firing rockets from mosques and playgrounds, and holding the civilian population as a civilian hostage, unfortunately, civilians die. When we go into Gaza and find that they built 500 kilometers of underground tunnels—the largest underground tunnel network ever built anywhere by a terror organization—and they’re not allowing civilians into them, but rather putting their terrorists inside and leaving civilians above ground, it becomes a situation where, yes, civilians die. But it is Hamas’s fault; Hamas is responsible,” he maintained.
Reacting to allegations against Israel over the Gaza war, Freeman rejected accusations of genocide as false and politically motivated, insisting Israel acted within moral and legal bounds.
While acknowledging growing international criticism, he maintained that Israel’s military conduct would ultimately be vindicated despite the current global backlash.
“This genocide lie is a libel and nothing new, unfortunately, for Israel. The accusation of genocide on this campaign was first used on October 8th. On October 8th, we were being accused of genocide before Israel had taken any actions whatsoever, while we were still fighting Hamas terrorists inside Israel who were still murdering, raping, torturing, and kidnapping Israeli citizens. This is a complete lie, not based on any fact. It is used as a classic blood libel that has been used against Israel and the Jewish people for thousands of years. It’s not based on fact or history, and there is no credible organization anywhere in the world that has been able to prove or state that there’s a genocide,” he insisted.
“I do hear what you’re saying about Israel’s criticism. Yes, I think we are getting a lot of criticism, but when you talk to the military professionals involved in the military side of things, they understand what’s going on. They understand that Israel has fought a war that has never been fought before. They fought a war in an urban environment with a ratio of civilian to terror deaths that has never been heard of.
“I’m comfortable and confident that we have done the moral thing and acted in a moral way, and in years to come, that will be proven. At the moment, we’re facing a very difficult time with some of our enemies and other people making accusations, but in the long run, they will be proven to be fake,” he assured.
On whether Israel could have handled the war differently, Freeman acknowledged that the country could have communicated its actions more effectively but argued that democracies face significant challenges countering misinformation in the age of social media.
“I think that we could have explained ourselves at times better, chosen our language better, and done those things better. In an age where a lie spreads so quickly on the internet, one of the challenges that democracies face is that we want to tell the truth,” he noted.
Commenting on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Ambassador Freeman disputed claims that they violate international law, arguing instead that the main obstacle to peace is the lack of Palestinian acceptance of Israel. He said previous Israeli peace proposals had been rejected and maintained that lasting peace depends on mutual recognition and coexistence.
“First, I don’t accept the definition of international law here; there are different interpretations regarding the settlements.
“So far, the Palestinians haven’t agreed to this. Remember, in every single opportunity we’ve brought to the Palestinians—whether in 1967, 1970, or 2000 at Camp David where President Bill Clinton said very clearly that Israel offered 97% to 98% of the West Bank with Jerusalem divided—the Palestinians said no. In 2008 with the Olmert plan, when he offered even more, the Palestinians said no. There has never been an acceptance by the Palestinians from 1947 through to today that there should be a two-state solution. The Palestinians are not willing to come to the table and talk to us. All they want to do is delegitimize and try to attack Israel.
“When a Palestinian leader stands up and says, “I want peace, I want to have a strong relationship with Israel, and I want to live in peace,” that’s a different situation. In 2005, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip. We withdrew every single settlement. Everyone said to us the settlements are the problem; if you take away all the settlements, everything will be great. We withdrew every single Israeli living there, destroyed the communities, and left the factories and greenhouses for the Palestinians. What did we get in response? We didn’t get peace. We got rockets, terror attacks, and ultimately October 7th. The settlements are a red herring. The issue that’s really important here is a Palestinian will to live side-by-side with a Jewish State of Israel next to them, and so far, no Palestinian leader has been willing to say they’re willing to do that,” Freeman explained.
On the prospects for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, Freeman said he remains hopeful that Israelis and Palestinians can eventually coexist peacefully if Palestinian leaders embrace dialogue and mutual recognition.
“I believe Israelis and Palestinians are destined to live in the same area. I believe that eventually, the Palestinians will have a leader who will stand up and say, ‘I want to live in peace with Israelis.’ I think the day that happens, then lots of things are possible,” he said.
Speaking on Iran-Israel conflict, Freeman warned that Tehran poses a serious threat to regional and global security, urging the international community to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
“Iran wants to build a nuclear weapon. I would ask the question the other way around: How would the world feel if Iran has a nuclear weapon—the same Iran that is threatening international shipping not only in the Straits of Hormuz, but the Bab-el-Mandeb; the same Iran firing rockets at all of the Gulf countries and its neighbors, attempting to fire missiles toward Diego Garcia, threatening the UK recently, and threatening to assassinate President Trump? How would the world feel if Iran had a nuclear weapon? That’s what we need to focus on. The world needs to understand that the tyrants and extremist terrorists in Tehran with a nuclear weapon pose a danger to everybody around the world,” he warned.
Freeman, on the role of diplomacy in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said that a lasting solution ultimately depends on dialogue and peaceful coexistence, but argued that military action remains necessary while Israel faces groups committed to its destruction.
“I’m a diplomat, so I obviously believe in diplomacy. Ultimately, the ideal is to have a diplomatic solution where both sides have a conversation and resolve their issues. But when one side is determined to kill you—and we saw on October 7th what that looks like, with Iran, Hezbollah, and the Houthis—when one side acts like that, unfortunately, there is no talking.
“You can’t talk to someone who wants you dead and wiped out. With certain instances, you do need to have a military answer. But ultimately, yes, we want diplomacy and to live in peace. No one wants peace more than I do. That’s my dream, and I believe it will eventually happen. But at this stage, unfortunately, the military campaign is the one we need to carry out,” he reiterated.
Speaking on Nigeria’s strategic importance to Israel, the diplomat described the country as one of Africa’s most important nations and a key partner for Israel. He said Nigeria’s growing global influence makes continued engagement essential, adding that stronger cooperation would benefit both countries and the wider international community.
“Nigeria is an incredibly important country. I think Nigeria is one of the most, if not the most, important country in Africa. It’s got an unbelievable, incredible population.
“I’ve already written in my handover document that Nigeria is critical and that you have to engage in Nigeria. You have to continue working all hours of the day and night—as you know, Nigerians love working all hours of the day and night, particularly the night—to look for opportunities to engage and to know that for Nigeria’s challenges, we need to work together to help overcome them. That is good for Israel, good for Nigeria, and good for the world. Nigeria is an incredibly important country and will remain so, growing in importance not only in Africa, but across the world,” he said.
Favour Odima
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