Saudi Arabia yesterday donated 50 tonnes of high-quality dates to Nigeria in a bid to deepen bilateral relations between both countries.
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Nigeria, H.E Faisal Ebraheem Alghamdi presented the donation at a ceremony at the Saudi Embassy in Abuja.
He said the Saudi government, through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief), had been providing humanitarian assistance to Nigeria in different fields.
He said the most recent intervention was the execution of their Special Feeding Programme tagged “Et’am 3 Initiative” in March 2024 where about 5,606 food packages which cost $400,000, were distributed to beneficiaries in Kano, JIgawa, Katsina, Borno and Abuja.
Also, a statement by the embassy said Saudi’s humanitarian centre intended to carry out a medical diagnostic campaign in Abuja, Kano and Lagos in the last quarter of 2024 as part of efforts to fulfil its humanitarian and pioneering role at the international level as well as its commitment to the humanitarian principle that focused on alleviating the sufferings of all people in distress.
The statement also mentioned that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had delivered 98 projects in Nigeria valued at $47,194,210 in food security, health, early recovery, sanitation and hygiene, education and charitable assistance.
Receiving the donation, H.E. Amb. Murtala Jimoh, Deputy Director, Middle East and Gulf Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed gratitude to the government of Saudi Arabia, saying that Nigeria and its people were thankful for the act of kindness.