Tunde Sholanke
The Federal Government has released N100,000 each, to Nigerian returnees evacuated from Sudan.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, said that the money would serve as transport to meet their relatives.
It also revealed the provision of hotel accommodation and medical care for the returnees.
A total of 376 Nigerians stranded in the country have since arrived, with the first batch of 94 evacuees coming in on Wednesday, through the Nigerian Airforce Hercules C-130 military airplane, while 282 persons were evacuated onboard an AirPeace flight.
Nneka Anibeze, Special Assistant, Media, to the Minister, said that the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq was on ground to receive the evacuees.
In a statement on Thursday, she also quoted the Minister as saying that “in line with the directives of President Muhammadu Buhari, no Nigerian who wants to flee the situation in Sudan will be left behind”.
The statement added that a fruitful negotiation between Nigeria and the Sudanese government led to the release of Nigerians in the north African country.
“We are happy that they arrived safely and no life was lost. They have gone through a very traumatizing period but thank God that they are back home.
“We thank the federal government for the successful rescue operation of Nigerians in Sudan. We pray that there is peace in Sudan and every other part of this country. War is not a good thing. You can see that people who have gone to study have suddenly become refugees. This is not just an international crisis but a humanitarian crisis.
“We are giving them a stipend of N100,000 each to transport themselves back to their families. Hotel accommodation has also been arranged for the evacuees until they reunite with their families while those who need medical attention have also been taken care of”, the statement added.
“The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the relevant MDAs like NEMA, NCFRMI, NIDCOM, NIA and the Nigerian Airforce are working with the Nigerian Missions in Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia and Chad to ensure that no one is left behind.
“Thus, every Nigerian escaping the situation in Sudan will be returned home in safety and in dignity. The evacuation exercise went through treacherous and difficult third party vendors which resulted in the glitches experienced during the mission. Other flights are being scheduled and will be more frequent to Sudan until all Nigerian citizens are safely returned home” Umar Farouq said.
