Nigeria played a key diplomatic role in evacuating infants from Gaza to hospitals in Jordan, Egypt, and the UAE for urgent medical care, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar.
Speaking at the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing in Abuja, Tuggar said Nigeria intervened after the Red Cross sought its help in resettling critically ill children. Due to their fragile medical state, Nigeria had to make a strategic decision about their transportation.
“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 explained that Nigeria declined to fly the infants over long distances due to their delicate conditions.
“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 said.
Instead, Nigeria used diplomatic channels to convince Jordan, the UAE, and Egypt to accept 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 provide medical care for the infants. And alhamdulillah, it succeeded,” Tuggar stated.
He added that this move aligns with Nigeria’s diplomatic principle of “strategic autonomy,” allowing it to engage globally based on national interest and humanitarian concerns.
