The Nigerian government has evacuated stranded staff of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) drafted to the Republic of Congo.
The staff had been sent to the country to undergo a special capacity building course with the World Health Organization (WHO).
Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of the Congo, Deborah Iliya, in a statement on Sunday, said the officials were in Congo for a training programme on management of coronavirus.
The envoy commended the President Muhammadu Buhari and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for deploying a Nigerian Air Force plane to convey to the team back home.
“This act has in no small measure further strengthened the bilateral harmony that exists between the two countries.
“The President of the Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, has put in stringent measures aimed at ending the spread of the virus as it has actively embarked on sensitization campaigns.”
Iliya further sent words of encouragement to Nigeria which has recorded nearly 100 cases of COVID-19 in one month.
“Our hearts are with you all, while we also pray fervently that God grants all, speedy recovery. I urge Nigerians to rally round the government in the fight against the deadly virus”
She added that this trying moment called for unity, support for each other and forging a common front against coronavirus and all that stand against peace and economic development.
