The Nigeria Labour Congress has expressed concern over the war in the Republic of Sudan, noting that Nigerians are becoming victims.
The NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, in a press statement he signed on Saturday called for an immediate ceasefire to allow for a peaceful resolution of
the issues in dispute that led to the war.
Ajaero noted that it is the responsibility of the government of any nation to secure lives and properties while questioning why the Federal Government in Nigeria was yet to evacuate trapped Nigerians in Sudan.
He said, “At this point, we are not specifically concerned about the history and immediate causes of the war but are worried because many Nigerians have become unwitting victims of the war and are stranded in that country and unable to get out.
“They have cried out for help to escape the horrors which the war has continued to mete out to persons still trapped in Sudan.
“The NLC is worried that since the war broke out towards the end of last week, reports reaching us on the number of human casualties are horrendous and frightening. This leaves every patriot anxious about the safety of our nationals in that country, especially that of our students.
“We believe that it remains the responsibility of any government to
ensure the safety of their nationals which includes making sure that in the event of a war in foreign countries, their citizens are protected in whatever way possible. This is one of the central reasons for governance: the safety of lives and properties.
“While we commiserate with the people and workers of Sudan and call for an immediate ceasefire to allow for a peaceful resolution of the issues in dispute that led to the war, we are at a loss as to why the federal government of Nigeria finds it difficult to guarantee the
safety of the lives of our citizens in that country beyond the tokenism effort at protection through an advisory to all Nigerians in that country to either seek refuge in our embassy in Khartoum or
stay indoors which they believe is safer.”
The NLC President said the excuse of the Federal Government not evacuating trapped Nigerians from Sudan was nothing to write about.
Ajaero explained, “The excuse that attempting to evacuate our nationals through the Airport is risky begs the question and is unacceptable. We do not understand whether other possible options for evacuating our citizens have been explored before relapsing to this seeming helplessness and apparent abandonment of our citizens who are obviously in great distress and afraid for their lives daily?
“It is trite diplomacy that in such a situation, serious governments will reach an understanding with the warring parties for the removal of their nationals from the theatre of war which drastically reduces the risk of loss of lives and that of the equipment used in such operations.
“If the Airports are not safe as suggested by the government, can we not work out a safe corridor to neighbouring countries to allow our citizens safe passage and evacuation through the various land borders?”
He, however, advised the government to do its possible best to evacuate Nigerians in Sudan to avoid being killed.
“We also suggest that the government work out an arrangement with the international community to create a haven for all foreign nationals in the country to serve as a buffer to all foreign nationals against the vagaries of the War while peace efforts are being made or other safer methods of evacuation are developed.
“Our concern is that while our government resorts to the usual lethargy and excuses, the lives of our nationals in Sudan already exposed to danger may begin to experience losses or injuries. We urge the federal government through the concerned agencies and Ministries to take urgent steps to avoid death and injuries to our citizens in that country.
“As we await a quick and positive action towards evacuating our
citizens, we would want measures to be put in place to make their lives comfortable on arrival, especially for those who own businesses in Sudan and have suffered the loss of businesses as a result. It does not make sense bringing them home without putting in place proper platforms to take care of their needs here,” he said.
