The federal government says it has spent $1.2 million (around N$560 million) to transport Nigerians stranded in Sudan to safety. The government also said no Nigerians have died so far in fighting between warring military factions in Sudan.
The announcement was made by the Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada while answering questions from reporters. This is following the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The meeting was chaired by President Buhari.
He said –
“We are confident we shall not lose any life in this exercise to evacuate stranded Nigerians.”
Dada said the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and staff of the Nigerian commission in Egypt and Ethiopia are currently on the ground at the Egyptian border in Aswan to receive close to 40 luxury buses conveying Nigerians who had left the Sudanese capital, Khartoum by road.
He added that the Saudi Arabia government had already evacuated some Nigerians through the sea. This development, he noted, was highly appreciated by the federal government.
While speaking, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said the process started after the federal government had overcome some challenges, adding that it would take a couple of days to evacuate stranded Nigerians.
He said the sum of $1.2 million had been spent so far on the current effort to move them by road.
Onyeama said once they were safely moved to Egypt, other arrangements would be effected to airlift them back to Nigeria.
Both Ministers said women and children would be given priority before diplomats who were equally involved in the evacuation logistics. The Nigerian government is leveraging the 72 hours cease-fire window given by the Sudanese government to evacuate Nigerians.
cc: Daily Trust Ng
