A coalition of Christian advocacy groups has declared support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu, over Nigeria’s recent partnership with Israel on technology and security.
The organisations also dismissed the opposition from Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) to the partnership as anti-patriotic and dangerous.
The Israeli government has announced that it has opened 40 startup opportunities for Nigerian innovators to enhance their potential for productivity and investment, strengthening the capacity for skill development of Nigerian inventors.
Israel’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sharren Haskel-Harpaz, who disclosed this, said that the 40 start-ups would be supported in the fourth round of Innovate8.
She said the Innov8 has, over the years, served as an incubator for brilliant Nigerians to exhibit their talents in startups in varied fields, using technology to provide solutions for common problems while boosting human capital development and strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries.
But MURIC, led by its Founder and Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, had earlier condemned the Nigeria-Israel collaboration, describing it as a romance with a terrorist state.
Akintola, in a statement, faulted the deal involving 40 Israeli startups under the Innovate8 initiative, while accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians and warning Nigerian authorities against accepting what he called “blood money.”
Reacting, the coalition of Christian advocacy groups, comprising One Nation One Law, End Sharia Now, For Zion Sake, Christian Graduate Fellowship, My Muslim Friend, Love a Muslim Ministry, and Seasoned Apologists, on Sunday said the initiative with Israel represents a bold step towards tackling insecurity and fostering economic growth in Nigeria.
In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Benson Sunday, the groups commended Ojukwu for her courageous decision to strengthen Nigeria’s partnership with Israel, saying that it is a patriotic move aimed at finding real and lasting solutions to insecurity.
The coalition commended the government’s sincerity in seeking effective partnerships that prioritise the protection of Nigerian lives.
It, however, condemned MURIC for opposing the initiative, describing its position as anti-patriotic, insensitive, and dangerous.
“It is deeply disappointing that instead of celebrating this decisive step, MURIC chose to put religious bias above patriotism. By rejecting a partnership that could help defeat terrorism, MURIC is directly or indirectly encouraging the continued bloodshed of Nigerians. This is unacceptable,” the statement read.
The groups challenged MURIC to start putting Nigeria first in all its statements and learn from progressive Muslim-majority nations such as the United Arab Emirates, which, under President Donald Trump, signed the Abraham Accords in pursuit of peace, progress, and cooperation.
They further warned that if MURIC persists in such divisive and extremist tendencies, a call for its total ban in Nigeria would be inevitable, noting that its activities increasingly mirror those of the Muslim Brotherhood, an organisation the coalition said has been outlawed in several Islamic countries.
“We call on all patriotic Nigerians, Christians, Muslims, and people of every faith to unite and put Nigeria first. Any activity that undermines the peace and unity of our nation is not from God but from the devil. Nigeria must come before religious or sectional interests,” the coalition stated.
