Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar has revealed that Nigeria played a crucial diplomatic role in facilitating the evacuation of infants and babies from war-torn Gaza to hospitals in Jordan, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for urgent medical care.
Speaking at the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing Series on Thursday in Abuja, Tuggar revealed that Nigeria’s involvement followed a request from the Red Cross, which sought assistance in relocating critically ill children.
“The Red Cross reached out to us, asking if Nigeria would be willing to take in some of the infants from Gaza because they were looking for countries that had expressed concern over the dire humanitarian situation,” he stated.
However, Tuggar explained that Nigeria had to make a calculated decision due to the fragile condition of the infants and the risks associated with long-distance medical transport.
“Our response was that we cannot take the risk of flying such fragile infants, some born with heart conditions, all the way from the Middle East to Nigeria. If something happens, people will question why we took such a risk when we have our own healthcare challenges here,” he noted.
Instead, the Nigerian government leveraged diplomatic channels to negotiate with the governments of Jordan, the UAE, and Egypt, urging them to accept and provide medical care for the children.
“We used our good offices and diplomatic connections to reach out to the Foreign Ministers of these countries and impress upon them the need to accept and care for the infants. And alhamdulillah, it succeeded,” Tuggar added.
The Minister emphasized that Nigeria’s actions reflect its diplomatic principle of “strategic autonomy,” which enables it to engage with multiple global partners based on national interests and humanitarian concerns.
