Over 3 million Nigerians still trapped in Sudan
First batch of evacuees return today
By Ukpono Ukpong
The Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa has said that over three million Nigerians are still stranded in war-torned Sudan.
Dabiri-Erewa said that if plans go as scheduled, the first batch of Nigerians being evacuated from war-torn Sudan by the federal government should arrive the country on today (Friday).
Dabiri-Erewa revealed this yesterday at the weekly ministerial briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
She said that early Thursday morning, no fewer than 13 buses out of the 40 buses arranged to evacuate Nigerian students departed Africa International University as well as Elrazi University in Khartoum enroute Cairo, Egypt.
Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa, who disclosed that plans are underway to evacuate the 5,500 Nigerians, schooling in Sudan, due to the escalating war in the country.
According to the NIDCOM Chairman, 13 buses have departed from two universities in Khartoum, carrying Nigerian students to the Aswan border in Egypt, where they will be airlifted to Nigeria.
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However, she highlighted the challenge of more Nigerians expressing interest in returning home than previously indicated.
The evacuation process is part of the government’s effort to repatriate Nigerian citizens stranded in the war-torn county.
The Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, (NIDCOM) Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa says 5,500 Nigerians schooling in Sudan would be evacuated from Sudan due to the raging war there.
She made the disclosure on Thursday at the weekly ministerial briefing organized by the Presidential Communications Team.
Dabiri-Erewa added that there are over three million Nigerians residing in Sudan and efforts are being made to evacuate as much as possible from Sudan, if the war persists, adding that priority will be on children, students and women.
The NIDCOM Chairman said already, 13 buses have departed Sudan for Egyptian border Aswan, from where the returnees would be airlifted back to Nigeria.
She said: “We have some buses that have departed from the African International University in Khartoum, Sudan and as I speak, I think they are just about two hours away from Aswan in Cairo. Others departed from the Elrazi University also in Khartoum. All in all, 13 buses have departed for Aswan border in Egypt where they will be received by the Nigerian Ambassador there and the Director-General of the National emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Habib Ahmed, who is already there with some officials.”
She said it is now time for Nigeria to focus more on Nigerians in Sudan and other parts of Africa because there are many of them residing in other African countries.
“When we were talking about Diaspora voting, some people were saying when we do that, it may not augur well. But we said no, we need to go to places like Sudan where we have millions of Nigerians who migrated there years ago and they have relationships and businesses there.
“The data is being worked on but I want to tell you categorically that by the time we finish the research we are doing, perhaps Sudan would be one of the largest areas where we have the largest concentration of Nigerians in diaspora. Everytime we focus on Europe, America and all that, it is time to focus on Africa and Africans in the Diaspora,” she said.
Dabiri-Erewa said as the evacuees return to Nigeria, they will be given some stipends to help them settle down before joining their families.
“NEMA will decide what would be given to the returnees because the funding is with the Ministry of Humanitarian affairs and Disaster Management. Usually is just a little amount. The last one we gave them we evacuated people, we gave them $100. So, it depends on the budget they have.
“But we in NIDCOM give them recharge cards, SIM cards and sometimes phones. Usually they get $100 just to hold and these are students coming back to their families. They are not refugees, they have homes,” she stressed.
She also said challenges associated with the evacuation process are already being addressed as she suggested that Rapid response Squads be established by NEMA in all parts of the country and in the diaspora, to help address unforeseen circumstances.
“I think that moving on, it is very important for NEMA to have Rapid Response Squads with military formations in all parts of Nigeria and then in the diaspora with military attaches. There really has to be those teams set in place.. It shouldn’t be when the crisis happens we start running around,” the NIDCOM Chairman advised.
