By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
Barring any unforseen circumstances that can truncate earlier plans made by the Federal Government, the first set of Nigerian evacuees from war-torned Sudan are expected to arrive in Nigeria on Friday aboard Air Peace Boeing 777 jetliners.
This cheering news was dropped by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) Chairperson, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa on Thursday just she has revealed that Nigerians resident in Sudan aside the students studying in various universities run into millions.
Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa who disclosed this to journalists at the 70th Session of the State House Ministerial Briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja said that government agencies including Foreign Affairs, Humanitarian Affairs/Disaster Management and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) are working in concert with NiDCOM to ensure that no Nigerian is killed in Sudan.
She revealed that now fewer than 13 luxury buses have departed from two universities in the Sudanese Capital, Khartoum, ferrying Nigerian students to the Aswan border in Egypt, where they will be airlifted to Nigeria.
According to her, the Nigerian embassy in Sudan has informed the warring factions, Army and the Rapid Support Forces ahead to ensure safe passage for the evacuees.
However, she noted that logistics challenges escalated when more Nigerians who had not been earlier documented for the exercise suddenly expressed interest to return home upon sighting some of the 40 busses.
Said she: “Although at least 5,500 Nigerian students are currently schooling in Sudan, the Nigerian population in the Horn of African country is about three million. If we are talking about countries where Nigerians are in large population it is Sudan. Many Nigerians are living there and many have established businesses doing well. But now many are displaced because of the fighting in Sudan”.
Dabiri-Erewa also revealed that arrangements have been completed for Air Peace to leave Nigeria on Thursday for Egypt to airlift Nigerians from Sudan back to the country, pointing out that the federal government and the indigenous airline company have been constant contact with the Nigerian embassy in Egypt for the smooth airlift operation.
Asked if Air Peace airline will embark on the evacuation operation on Thursday or Friday as the airline owner Allen Onyema had earlier announced that the he will deploy three Boeing 777 jetliners to Egypt on Friday to evacuate the stranded Nigerians back to the country, she said NEMA confirmed that the aircrafts will leave Nigeria on Thursday for Egypt.
Said she:”I can confirm that Air Peace will leave Nigeria today (Thursday) for the mission to bring back our people from Sudan who are almost in Aswan boarder in Egypt. So, if the Nigerians arrive they will be evacuated because they do not have anywhere to stay in Egypt”.
Prompt News reports that Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama while speaking to State House Correspondents after Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, said the evacuation process is part of the government’s effort to repatriate Nigerian citizens stranded in Sudan since fighting broke out between the Military and the Rapid Support Forces on April 15.
