Nigeria played a key role in facilitating the evacuation of infants and babies from Gaza to hospitals in Jordan, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar.
Speaking at the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing Series in Abuja on Thursday, Tuggar revealed that the intervention was initiated following an urgent request from the Red Cross. The humanitarian organization sought Nigeria’s assistance in relocating critically ill children from the conflict zone to safer locations with advanced medical facilities.
However, the minister explained that Nigeria opted not to bring the infants directly to the country due to the risks involved in long-distance transportation, particularly given their fragile medical conditions.
“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,” Tuggar stated.
He further clarified Nigeria’s decision: “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.”
Instead, Nigeria leveraged diplomatic channels to secure medical care for the infants in Jordan, Egypt, and the UAE. Tuggar noted that the government engaged with the Foreign Ministers of these countries to ensure they accepted the children and provided them with urgent medical attention.
“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,” he said.
This diplomatic intervention highlights Nigeria’s role in global humanitarian efforts and its commitment to supporting vulnerable populations during crises.
