Facilities overstretched, we’ll stagger subsequent evacuation of Nigerians abroad, says minister

Nigerians anxious to return home would have to exercise patience as facilities for their accommodation back home were already overstretched.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, made the disclosure on Monday at the weekly briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.

The Foreign Affairs Minister, who put the figures of returnees so far from the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States of America at 600, revealed that there were Nigerians in China, France, India, South Africa, Sudan, among others who want to return the country.

He however lamented that the position of the medical experts in the PTF team was that the facilities at home were already overstretched which necessitated the decision to stagger subsequent evacuation moves.

He said: “Now we have over 600 evacuees in various accommodation in Lagos and in Abuja and as I understand from our medical people, we are at saturation point and the maximum we can really cope with and able to deliver adequately and professionally with care that we are supposed to.

“This will mean, we will be staggering our flight in evacuating Nigerians and making sure that we do with the ones that we have in place before bringing back others.

“But we certainly hope that with adequate period of time, we will be able to bring back some of the others out there.

“There are many still out there: Nigerians in China, in India, Canada, South Africa, Sudan, France Lebanon, Egypt and all these really call to question our capacity to absorb such large numbers and truly, our system is being strained and we really have to take it easier and also to ensure that we can deliver optimally as we are supposed to.”

Mr Onyeama however has cheering news for local airlines operators as he revealed that they would be considered in subsequent evacuation flights.

“Another issue that has come up in the media has been the issue of using Nigerian carriers. I have explained in the past and I will do that just very quickly again.

“The carrier that came from the UAE wasn’t a government organised one and the one from UK was one that was coming already and the one that came from the US was the one that had been arranged and pretty much it was a private sector initiative.

“The government is being mindful of the importance and the need to use local carriers and I am happy to say that the pipeline flights, the ones we had in process of arranging are all Nigerian carriers. So, henceforth going forward, we hope that we will be using only Nigerian carriers.”

 

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Buy and read digital replicas of your TRIBUNE titles by subscribing through E-VENDING

MONDAY LINES: Almajirai’s Expedition To The South
COVID-19 may be composing a requiem for Nigeria. Or do you sincerely think the country would be the same again if the North’s unhealthy conducts explode in unimaginable deaths as is gradually evolving before our very eyes? The South’s zest for life or what the French call joie de vivre, won’t let them allow the … Read full story

CACOVID, NCDC To Support Oyo Govt On Coronavirus Battle With N350 Million
The Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) are set to donate the combined sum of N350 million to support Oyo State’s containment efforts against COVID-19. The State’s Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Akinola Ojo and a member of the COVID-19 Task Force… Read full story

Forex Repatriation: Emefiele Assures Investors Of Investment Safety
The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele, has assured investors of the security of their investments in the country despite dwindling revenue from the sale of crude oil globally. Speaking at the weekend in Abuja, Mr Emefiele said investors interested in repatriating their funds from the country… Read full story

Coronavirus Or Not, African Migrants Desperately Push On In The Desert Towards Europe
Many Africans are managing to evade coronavirus lockdown barriers in Niger, the Sahel’s migrant crossroads, as they press on with their perilous desert trek to the Mediterranean Sea and ultimately Europe. The migrant flow has slowed down but not dried up despite tight checks in the capital Niamey, and an increase of desert… Read full story

COVID-19: Bauchi Locks Down Three LGAs To Check Community Transmission
Bauchi State Government has declared a total lockdown of three LGAs of Giade, Katagum and Zaki as a measure to curtail community transmission of COVID-19 pandemic in the state. The total lockdown which takes effect from Tuesday, May 12, 2020 is for an initial 10 days to monitor how the situation will be controlled… Read full story