The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has disclosed plans to evacuate over 2,000 Nigerians in crisis-hit Sudan this morning.
The Director, Special Duties, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Onimode Bandele disclosed this in an interview with newsmen yesterday.
In his disclosure, Bandele stressed that nobody has been evacuated yet.
In his words: “The truth is nobody has been evacuated yet. I just spoke to the ambassador, Olaniyan, in Khartoum a few minutes ago.
“It is true that there are plans to get buses to start moving tomorrow morning (today). And as I speak to you, the Director General, National Emergency Management Agency, Mustapha Habib, is already in Cairo because that is the window we are looking at.”
According to him, the movement is to be perfected between the Nigerian embassy in Khartoum and the NEMA director-general.
On how many Nigerians to be evacuated from the troubled country, Bandele stated that evacuation of a few thousand citizens was in the works.
“Our projection was that most students and others who want to evacuate are about 5,000. But with my discussion with the ambassador this morning (yesterday), the plan is for about 2,650-2,800 to move immediately, including families of embassy staff.
The management of Air Peace expressed its willingness to evacuate Nigerians stranded in Sudan free of charge.
The airline noted that Nigerian students and others stranded in Sudan needed help and would receive same should the federal government give it the nod to conduct the airlift.
It would be recalled that the airline in 2019, deployed flights to evacuate Nigerians in South Africa during the heat of the xenophobic attack against Africans living in that country.
Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, who disclosed this, said Nigerians stranded in the crisis-ridden country could be moved to a neigbouring country where the airline could evacuate them
' I am compelled to help because Nigeria cannot afford to lose her citizens in that country. It would be my own commitment to make sure the stranded Nigerians in the war-torn country are safe.
“Everything must not be left for government alone, especially as the situation calls for urgency and immediate action.
“Again, Air Peace is willing to evacuate Nigerians stranded in Sudan free of charge, if government can get them to a safe and secure airport in any of the neighbouring countries bordering Sudan.
“Everything must not be left for government alone. It will be a privilege and honour of tremendous pride that we will be out there to give every Nigerian stranded in Sudan a sense of pride and oneness in their country.
“We are very ready to do it immediately, no time wasting. Any action that would promote national pride, national cohesion, peace and unity, we are for it'
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