The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced its commitment to provide free surgeries for Nigerian citizens as part of the Nur-Saudi Voluntary Campaign in Nigeria, in celebration of its 93rd National Day at the residence of Ambassador Mr. Faisal Alghamdi in Abuja.
This initiative was approved by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Al Saud, in 2022.
The Kingdom’s National Day is celebrated annually on September 23rd, but due to this year’s date falling on a Saturday, the celebration took place on September 25th.
The occasion marked the unification of all regions of the Kingdom by King Abdulaziz Al Saud and was attended by government officials, heads of diplomatic missions, representatives from international organizations, prominent business figures, and other distinguished guests.
Ambassador Alghamdi explained that the campaign would be executed through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) in several stages. The first stage had already targeted combating blindness and its causes, along with a significant number of open-heart and urology surgeries. He also congratulated the parents of Nigerian conjoined twins on the successful separation surgery, making it the 56th surgery performed by the Kingdom to separate conjoined twins from around the world.
Addressing the bilateral relations between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, Ambassador Alghamdi highlighted the historic ties dating back to 1961, which have continued to strengthen over the years. He expressed confidence that the relationship would further flourish under the new government and emphasized the importance of mutual visits in enhancing bilateral relations at various levels.
Ambassador Alghamdi noted that in 2022, approximately 200,000 Nigerians traveled to Saudi Arabia, with 95,000 of them on pilgrimage and over 90,000 on minor pilgrimage. During the same period, Saudi Arabia granted 200 scholarships to Nigerian students, both male and female, and the trade volume between the two nations exceeded $600 million.
