Following the invasion of Russia in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Nigeria, Kirdoda Valerii, has told the Federal government that evacuation of Nigerians from the country at the moment is impossible as the airspace in Ukraine remains shut.
On Wednesday February 23, Russia launched a military attack on Ukraine, causing many to flee their homes. The Federal government on Thursday announced that a special arrangement is being made to evacuate over 5000 Nigerian students and other Nigerians willing to be evacuated from Ukraine due to the war.
Speaking after his meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffery Onyeama, on Thursday, February 25, the Ukrainian envoy, expressed gratitude to the Government and people of Nigeria for their support during these difficult times but stated that it is unsafe to evacuate anyone at the moment.
“Right now, we are in a very difficult situation, but we are fighting against the aggression and we believe that we will all win. Ukrainian Government does not differentiate between people on the basis of their nationality and that is the best effort to protect everybody.
Currently, the evacuation of Nigerian students is not possible because it is not safe to fly on the sky of Ukraine. As soon as it is safe to fly on the sky of Ukraine, we will join the Embassy of Nigeria in Ukraine and jointly with the Nigerian Government, we will arrange for the evacuation of Nigerian Students” Valeri said.
