Israel has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on his victory in the last presidential election.
Israel’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Shimon Ben-Shosan spoke on Thursday in Abuja, when he presented a Letter of Credence to President Buhari.
The ambassador congratulated President Buhari on his re-election, and also thanked the Nigerian government for extending an invitation to Israeli Prime Minister to attend the Democracy Day celebrations on June 12.
Ben-Shosan said he dreams of bringing his Prime Minister to visit Nigeria.
He added, “Next year will be 60 years of diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Israel, and the last time a Prime Minister of Israel visited Nigeria was in 1958.
‘‘My dream is to bring my Prime Minister and President to visit Nigeria and for President Buhari to visit Israel. That will be historic for us.”
In his response, Buhari said Nigeria’s diversity will remain a source of strength for the development of the country.
The President noted that Nigeria and Israel have enjoyed cordial bilateral relations, highlighting that many Nigerian Christians look forward to performing pilgrimage to the Holy Land in Israel.
‘‘I congratulate you on your appointment as Ambassador of Israel to Nigeria. Enjoy your stay in Nigeria and take time to go round to see the beauty and diversity of the country,’’ the President told the Israeli ambassador.”
Receiving the Letter of Credence of the Sierra Leonean High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Solomon Gembeh, the President said both countries have a strong and stable relationship borne out of shared history and decades of cooperation.
Buhari said he looked forward to continue working with President Julius Maada Bio to further strengthen the relations between both countries, emphasising that both of them shared a common historical background as former military Heads of State who later became civilian President.
The President lauded the resilience of the Sierra Leonean people in overcoming the tragedy of the 2017 mudslide in the West African country.
The Sierra Leonean High Commissioner thanked Nigeria for its steadfast brotherly support to his country, saying ‘‘during ECOMOG, Nigerian soldiers bled and died for us.’’
‘‘During the Ebola crisis, the mudslide, you have always been there for us. Nigeria has always been a big brother to us,’’ he said.
Dr Gembeh extended President Bio’s good wishes to President Buhari on his second-term in office, adding that his President is looking forward to attending the Democracy Day Celebrations in Abuja on June 12.
Details of the meetings between President Buhari and the Ambassadors were made available to DAILY POST on Thursday via a statement from Femi Adesina, the President’s Special Assistant on Media and Publicity.
