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by Cnaan Liphshiz
Ibo king says Nigeria is 'hungry' for Israeli investors, off
Israel can benefit from Nigeria in more ways than one, King Desmond Ogugua of Nigeria told Anglo File Monday. Visiting Israel this week on a Christian pilgrimage, the 81-year-old traditional ruler - whose duties include appointing chiefs and arbitration - said local politicians could benefit from what he had to teach about leadership and peacemaking.
But the Ibo king - one of a few dozen local rulers in Nigeria - stressed that his homeland, which is West Africa's strongest economy, is "hungry" for Israeli investors. "They will see Nigeria is a sound investment if they only educate themselves about it," he said.
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Speaking over lunch at the Azrieli Towers Crowne Plaza Hotel, Eze (King) Ogugua said: "In my country I have had some experience in making peace between families, tribes and states. I have come to Israel many times over the past 20 years and know it well. Israel's leaders can come to my palace and I will teach them how to make peace."
King Ogugua was ruling in May of 1967, when the predominantly-Ibo breakaway Republic of Biafra in southeastern Nigeria declared independence, sparking a brutal three-year civil war that shocked the world and claimed the lives of some three million people, mostly Ibo. Israel helped support the besieged, oil-rich Biafra entity in its failed bid.
"I will not speak about Biafra," said the king, "but I will say that we have brought stability to that part of Nigeria. Of course, there is always the risk of violence, but this applies everywhere."
On his visit, King Ogugua is the special guest of Joel Bell and his wife, Pamela Bell. Together, the U.S.-born couple founded the Worldwide Biblical Zionist movement - a local Christian Evangelist nonprofit associated with the Likud party. "They need Israel and we in Israel need them," said Joel Bell, who met the King during the movement's 2007 board of governors meeting in Texas. "We're so close geographically, and they understand biblical Zionism right away," added Bell, who said he plans to invest more in nurturing ties with Christian African leaders.
Regarding the Middle East conflict, King Ogugua said, "The way we do it in Nigeria is to bring everyone to one table over lunch, just like right now. We all have to eat and when people eat together, the barriers and divisions fall."
Indeed, despite maintaining a cordial yet formal demeanor throughout the interview, a chance encounter during lunch seemed to bring down some of the King's own walls of decorum - eliciting broad smiles and a hearty laugh from his otherwise reserved royal majesty.
Sitting at a nearby table was Judy Nir Moses Shalom, one of Israel's most recognizable TV and radio personalities and wife of former Likud foreign minister Silvan Shalom. Seemingly delighted to learn she was in the presence of royalty, she exclaimed: "Wow! A real king? Can I touch you?"
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