The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has disclosed the Federal Government’s readiness to evacuate Nigerians stranded in Sudan
She made this known on Monday while speaking on Channels Television’s Lunchtime Politics.
While noting that the FG is making “tremendous progress”, she added that every Nigerian student in the North African country now has a point of contact.
She said, “Buses will take them to a location. We’re looking at places in Egypt: Luxor and some other place there. So, really there’s been tremendous progress. Mr President has given his nod immediately this happened, so there’s a lot.”
She warned against mobilisation efforts of the National Association of Nigeria Students involving the generation of funds to facilitate the transportation of Nigerian students in the North African country away from their campuses.
The PUNCH reports Air Peace, a private airline in Nigeria had disclosed its readiness to evacuate stranded Nigerians in Sudan, North-East Africa for free if the Federal Government can get them to a safe and secure airport in any of the neighbouring countries bordering Sudan.
This was disclosed in a statement on Monday by the Chairman and Chief Executive Office of the airline, Allen Onyema.
She added, “NANS, which I understand came up with this thing of ‘pay $100, come somewhere,’ the thing is, move to where? So, there’s no point taking you from one danger to another danger.
“And there were some people that were leaving that actually had to turn back because they would have been killed. So, now, they’ve returned to their various campuses.”
Dabiri-Erewa decried the actions of Nigerian students in Sudan leaving their universities without authorisation.
She said, “The issue of those students that gathered together, took a bus somewhere, here’s the thing: they’ve all had to go back to their universities because it was very risky of them.
“Just imagine in a war situation, you just see 20 buses moving without any permission from the military authorities, we’ll endanger the lives. So, that is why they’ve had to return.”