Abia State Governor, Alex Otti has affirmed his commitment to partner Israel in developing its economic and technological potentials, with specific reference to human capital, agriculture, digital economy and micro small and medium enterprise (MSME).
Governor Otti disclosed this when the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Michael Freeman, paid him a visit at the Government House, Umuahia.
This came just as Ambassador Freeman commended the leadership quality of the Governor, saying that his visit to Abia State is a tribute to the good work that the Abia Governor is doing in the State, particularly in the area of security.
A statement by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Kazie Uko, quoted the Israeli envoy as commending Otti for improved security in Abia.
Ambassador Freeman said: “As Israelis, we’re known for many things. One of the things we’re known for is not being so easy on security situations. So, when I received the invitation and had the conversation to come to Abia State, I went back to my Embassy, to my security team and said, I’ve been invited by the government to come to Abia State.
“I expected the answer to be, ‘You are not going to Abia State, that’s not happening’, but actually the answer came back within a couple of hours, ‘Absolutely, we clear that security wise, you can go’.
“I think, again, there’s another. I’ve been here now in Nigeria for two years, and other than being in the FCT (Abuja) and other than being in Lagos, this is my first visit outside of those two places, which again I think is a tribute to you, it’s a tribute to your work, it’s a tribute to everything that is happening here (in Abia).”
The Israeli Ambassador, who described his visit to Abia as significant, coming on a day that the Jewish nation was celebrating its 76th Independence Anniversary, said that there is so much that Abia, indeed Nigeria, and Israel have in common, particularly their entrepreneurial spirit.
“We both have a very young population. We both have a population that is innovative, that is determined to do better than their peers, to continually strive. Nobody is really taking ‘no’ for an answer, okay.
“For us, and I know it’s the same for Nigerians, if the door is closed, then you’re coming through the window and if the window is closed, you’re coming in through the ceiling into the room, and that is very much an Israeli trait,” he said.
He said the governments of Abia and Israel could do a lot together in the area of agriculture, using technology and innovation.
“We are blessed to have leading agriculture experts in the world and specifically in areas of cassava, rice and cocoa production.
“It takes 5,000 litres of water to grow one kilogramme of rice. It is a huge amount of water, but Israel has discovered a technology that allows you to grow one kilogramme of rice with 1,500 litres of water, and using the drip technology you can grow it anywhere,” he submitted.