After the successful evacuation of 265 Nigerians from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday, the Federal Government has again assured that another batch of about 300 Nigerians will be airlifted back to the country from the United Kingdom (UK) on Friday as part of measures to repatriate nearly 4,000 Nigerians from all over the world.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, gave this assurance while making his remarks during the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on the containment of the Covid-19 on Thursday in Abuja, stressing that the evacuees will undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine and observe other protocols in the facilities provided by the government.
He said: “We are hoping to have another batch coming from the UK that was supposed to land in Abuja but they will be landing in Lagos and they will be ferried to Abuja.”
Coronavirus: FG Evacuates 265 Nigerians From UAE
The minister noted that the reason the passengers will be ferried to Abuja was because Abuja offers the government better economy in terms of hotel rate, adding that Abuja also has more hotels. He however, urged the passengers to bear with the government for two weeks as arrangements are being made to facilitate the return to Lagos of those who need to be in Lagos rather than Abuja.
“We are doing the best we can, 14-day confinement is not easy for them but we do urge them to be patient. It is a sacrifice that we all have to make for the common good and we request them to continue to respect all the protocols and to comply with the directives given by the officials that are designated to handle the process.
“We have tried as much as possible to minimize the burden on them appreciating that they stayed out much longer than they needed to and probably out of pocket,” the minister noted.
Onyeama also confirmed that in about three days after Friday evacuation, another flight is expected to convey Nigerians back home most likely from the United States to Abuja on Monday.
FG Moves Evacuation Of Nigerians From United States Forward
He pointed out that the government has faced the challenge of resource constraints but assured it will do its best within the limits of resources available.
He explained that the process of evacuation has been very complex with different agencies called upon to act in the process of organizing hundreds of people into planes and bringing them home, transporting them while the medical team would have to supervise all the other facilities that have to be put in place.
Onyeama lauded the Governor of Lagos state, Babajide Sanwo Olu, for his immense contributions to the efforts being made to repatriate Nigerians, stressing that the governor has provided the template from which the government can deliver better operations.
Post Disclaimer
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author and forum participants on this website do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Anaedo Online or official policies of the Anaedo Online.