FG approves $8.5m to evacuate Nigerians fleeing from Ukraine

• Air Peace to airlift first batch of 364 stranded Nigerians

 

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved $8.5 million for immediate evacuation of over 5,000 Nigerians that flee the Russia, Ukrainian war to Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia.

The approval was given after the former Nigeria Ambassado

r to Japan, Professor Gana Yisa, said there are about 8,000 Nigerians in Ukraine, as Air Peace Airline will today airlift first batch of 364 stranded Nigerians from Ukraine back to Nigeria.

The Air Peace Airline and Max Air have been contracted by the Federal Government to bring back about 2090 stranded Nigerians, who have fled from war-torn Ukraine to neighbouring countries back to Nigeria.

 

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada, flanked by the Minister of Humanitarian, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouk, while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the virtual Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting presided over by Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja, disclosed that  the approval came after a joint memo presented by Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development at the council meeting.

Dada said Air Peace and Max Air airlines have been contracted to provide three aircrafts that will run many shifts as possible to facilitate the evacuation, adding that those to be evacuated include 940 from Romania, 150 from Slovakia and 350 from Poland, who have registered for evacuation.

Dada said: “The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs wrote a memo to the president seeking funding to enable us conduct this exercise. The memo was in the tune of $8.5 million which Mr. President has graciously approved. That provision entails arrangement to evacuate not less than 5,000 Nigerians.

“Whatever happens, you can be rest assured we are going to run any number of shifts it will involve. Don’t forget it will also involve taking care of those Nigerians that may decide not to come back. It also includes some assistance for the feeding that may have been done by the missions under whatever arrangements. Even the missions themselves are also in dire situations. So it’s a whole gambit of activities that are involved.”

When asked if the amount will be released immediately for the exercise, the minister said: “That is why the evacuation flights will begin today (Wednesday).”

On students trapped in Ukrainian cities now in the hands of Russians, Dada said: “We want to believe the Russian armed forces will obey the rules of engagement. They know the rules about civilians that are caught up in situations such as this. We want to assume they will respect international laws and ensure that no harm comes to them.

“Don’t forget that even our mission in Ukraine has had to be evacuated. So, if for any reason any Nigerian is left behind, we are very prayerful, we are very hopeful that no harm shall come to them once, of course, they are in some shelters or whatever place they are hiding.

“Don’t forget we had also summoned both the Russian and Ukrainian ambassadors to our ministry, and we did emphasis the need for their troops to ensure that they do not do anything that will harm the lives of innocent citizens.

Speaking on this development, the former Nigeria Ambassador to Japan, Professor Gana Yisa, urged the Federal Government to ensure that every Nigerian in the war ridden Ukraine is brought back home and not to restrict evacuation to only students.

Gana, who is also a former Commissioner for Agriculture and ex-Deputy Speaker of Kwara State House of Assembly before his ambassadorial appointment, in an interview, said: “As a country, we are used to fire-brigade approach. But we must have learnt that it doesn’t work.

“We have to be proactive, be willing and able to take care of our citizens wherever they are. There are up to 8,000 Nigerians there and government is looking forward to evacuating 2,000 in the next couple of days. The question is what happens to others?

“I also heard the minister saying some people went there on their own as if they are not Nigeria citizens. A good government doesn’t do that. A citizen of this country is a citizen of this country, no matter where he or she finds himself or herself.

“To say that those people should be responsible for themselves is an unfortunate statement. I finished as an envoy, Nigeria number one envoy to Japan, and during Covid-19, we were worried about every Nigerian and we warned everybody to stay indoors.

“So, every citizen of Nigeria should be seen as very important to this country, most of whom are there went for greener pasture. If we have worked assiduously and make our country attractive, maybe some of them wouldn’t have gone there. That is why we have Nigerians becoming refugees in neighbouring countries as far as I know.

“Nigeria seems to be in the forefront among very few countries that are in critical situation of managing their citizens in Ukraine. Most other countries evacuated their citizens like a week before the actual attack took place, because we all saw how Russia was building up along the Russia/Ukraine borders and those who know the person of Russia president, Putin, would anticipate that with that level of build up that it was inevitable that Russia will at a point attack Ukraine.

“Therefore, we should have evacuated our citizens, very young people, students who have gone there to acquire education and are now being subjected to very difficult conditions of lack of where to stay, no food and so on. We thank God that neighbouring countries have allowed them to enter their countries, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria.

Meantime, Air Peace is to airlift first batch of 364 stranded Nigerians from Ukraine back to Nigeria today.

According to the Chief Operating Officer, COO, Air Peace, Mrs Toyin Olajide, the first batch of 364 Nigerians will be brought into Nigeria from Poland today.