Nigeria is said to begin the evacuation of Nigerians in Ukraine from Wednesday, 2nd March. This update is coming from the Speaker of The House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila in a statement released on Monday, 28th February.
Gbajabiamila disclosed this in a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Godfrey Onyeama at his office in Abuja. On matters arising, the plight of Nigerians caught in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine were discussed and The Speaker disclosed that efforts are on the way to begin the evacuation of Nigerians in Ukraine.
The Speaker disclosed that the evacuation was supposed to have begun on Monday, 1st March but was rescheduled to give room for the ministry, the House and the Nigerian foreign missions in Ukraine, Poland and Russia to complete the civilities of moving Nigerians from to safe borders around neighbouring countries.
Gbajabiamila, also pointed out that Nigeria’s response to emergencies needs to be improved with response mechanisms, including funds, aeroplanes and other equipment that positions the country ready for emergencies to life-threatening situations such as the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and how they affected Nigerians in the affected countries.
“We must be in a state of readiness at all times. We should have our own planes and necessary funding to respond quickly to such emergencies,” Gbajabiamila stated. He also revealed that the National Assembly is preparing legislation to address such emergencies.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs has listed Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Russia, as countries to be used as exit points. Onyeama pointed out that there were about 5,600 Nigerian students in Ukraine, while also acknowledging that there may be some non-students, some of whom might not be legally documented.
Onyeama finally dismissed reports claiming that Africans – particularly Nigerians – were not allowed to leave Ukraine or granted access into the neighbouring countries.
“Where we are now is the point of ascertaining the exact number we are dealing with and to agree on the location for the evaluation. We are thinking about Bucharest; but all of this is being sorted out and we are constantly working to ensure that everything goes on very smoothly,” Onyeama said.
“80percent to 90percent of countries and people did not believe that Russia would indeed invade Ukraine. I was in touch with our ambassador early enough and he assured us that there was no need for evacuation. The students even said there was no problem at all. Also, the Ukrainian government did not want people to leave, and especially because most of our people are students, who will not be able to go back to Ukraine again, should they leave,” Onyeama further stated.