Comply with directives, protocols at isolation centres, Minister tells UAE returnees

Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, has appealed to Nigerians evacuees from the United Arab Emirates to commply and adhere to protocols and directives at the isolation centres in Lagos State.

He made the appeal on Thursday at the daily media briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja.

The passengers were brought in from Dubai on an Emirate flight on Wednesday night.

Mr Onyeama, who sought for their patience and cooperation, asked them to adhere strictly to the protocols and directives of those saddled with oversight at the isolation centres.

He said: “So, we are very happy that we have at least been able to get the first batch of Nigerians successfully back home and we like to congratulate those passengers on the flight because they really comported themselves, they went to their hotels that they were supposed to go to and into their confinement.

“The conditions are difficult, but we will do the best we can. Fourteen days in confinement isn’t easy for anybody but we do urge them to be patient, that it is sacrifice that they all have to make for the common good and we request them to continue to respect all the protocols and to comply with directives given by the officials that are designated to have oversight over them.

“This is strictly very important. This is the first group that has gone there and we learn a lot from this whole process and we certainly hope that, as I said, 14 days will pass without any mishap.

“Again, as the SGF has said, we have to thank again the governor of Lagos State for his very personal support and investment in this process has made it successful, thanks to him and he has really given us a template which we can now grow and hopefully deliver better going forward.”

The Foreign Affairs Minister further disclosed that another flight to evacuate Nigerians in the United Kingdom would land in Lagos on Friday.

Defending the choice of Abuja as isolation centres for the passengers from the UK, Onyeama said that Abuja was cheaper in terms of hotel accommodation and the comfort of Foreign Affairs officials.

“We are hoping to have another flight tomorrow coming in from the United Kingdom and this batch will be going to Abuja but they will be landing in Lagos and will be taken to Abuja.

“The reasons are these. We have been very mindful of the cost to the passengers coming home, we have tried as much as possible to minimise the burden on them, appreciating that a lot of them have stayed out a much longer than they needed to or wanted to and so are probably out of pocket.

“We have really tried as best we can to reduce their burden as much as possible with the various hotels. Abuja offers us better economy in terms of hotel rates and we also just have much hotels here and it is better to manage here in Abuja for the officials and it is generally a more congenial environment and better. Our strength are more here.

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