FG to begin airlifting of Nigerians trapped in Ukraine Wednesday – Newstrends
Connect with us

metro

FG to begin airlifting of Nigerians trapped in Ukraine Wednesday

Published

3 years ago

on

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama
  • 479 Nigerians secure exit routes

Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama, has said the Federal Government will on Wednesday start airlifting of Nigerians trapped at the Ukrainian borders with Budapest, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania.

Onyeama disclosed this while speaking on Channels TV, Politics Today, monitored in Lagos.

He said the government was discussing with Air Peace and Max Air airlines in Abuja, adding that it is making moves to find out from those countries how many Nigerians are currently there.

He said, “As of today, we were hoping we will be able to get the flights out, but we needed to be sure of the numbers to know the size of planes to deploy. So we made Romania the hub.”

The minister said he was in touch with the Ambassador in Ukraine and his staff and had directed them to set up a hotline for Nigerians in Ukraine, maintain contact with them, and advise them on what they should be doing and how they should stay safe.

Onyeama said, “We are also in contact with the ambassadors and diplomatic missions around Ukraine. Once the people started moving to the borders before it was shut; we have started evacuating Nigerian citizens. The next phase was to get them to the borders as safely as possible and to evacuate them to the capitals to begin an airlift.”

He added that it got the embassy to send staff to the border points in Hungary, Poland and Romania, Slovakia to assist Nigerians to arrange shelter and food for them.

Onyeama stated, “Though it’s a bit chaotic because of the panic. There has been some distressing news about discrimination about Nigerians being turned back at the border, initially, by the guards. So I called the minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine. I was actually surprised to get him considering the situation that they are in, and we communicated at length and he said the border guards were to allow foreigners to go through unimpeded, but the only restrictions were Ukrainian males between the ages of 18 and 60. And the borders guards have been directed. So we arranged with the embassy officials to start ferrying Nigerians to the capitals.”

READ ALSO:

He said there were over 1,000 Nigerians who had crossed the borders, 250 in Poland, Budapest about 200, and Slovakia rising rapidly to around 200 mark.

The minister said, “There are some Nigerians on a place called Summi, closer to the Russian border. I have been in touch with the ambassador and given him some numbers to keep in touch with them, about 150 of them now looking to cross to Russia, we are hoping they will give them a permit to cross and we are hoping that by Wednesday, we will start deploying planes to airlifting and bringing back Nigerians.”

Asked if it was safe to fly in and out of Russia, Onyeama said it was not safe to fly, but to go by road, adding that there is also inherent risk.

“Though there is an element of risk there but the Russian Ambassador assured me that they were targeting military installations and not civilian abode,” Onyeama said.

Meanwhile, about 479 Nigerians are already across the Ukrainian border in Hungary and Poland with the rest as at press time being assisted to get to freedom.

A signed statement yesterday by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Gabriel Aduda, explained, “In the last 24 hours, officials of the Nigerian Embassy have received 130 Nigerians safely at Bucharest, Romania, where they have been provided accommodation and will be documented, while we finalise arrangements to bring them back home.

“Also, officials at Budapest, Hungary have received and accommodated 74 Nigerians safely, where they are being documented for subsequent travel arrangements back to Nigeria.

“We are expecting another batch of about 200 into the city of Budapest, tomorrow (Monday)

“In Warsaw, Poland we have received 52 Nigerians and 23 are being processed at the Polish Government Reception Point at Hala Kijowska, Milny 90, 37-552 Milny, which is near the border of Korczowa-Krakowiec. The camp is well organised with beds and beddings, food, heating, clothing and medicals for evacuees.”

Aduda, in the statement, assured “Nigerians that all hands are on deck and arrangements are being put in place to effectively evacuate our citizens, in safety and dignity.”

Related Topics:
Advertisement

metro

BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

Published

9 hours ago

on

November 14, 2024

By

BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

The federal government has unveiled a proposed budget of N47.9 trillion for the 2025 fiscal year.

Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, disclosed this to journalists on Thursday following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu.

Bagudu revealed that the council had approved the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for 2025-2027.

READ ALSO:

According to the minister, the government has pegged the crude oil benchmark at $75 per barrel, with an oil production target of 2.06 million barrels per day (bpd).

The budget also sets the exchange rate at N1,400 per dollar and aims for a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 6.4%.

 

BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

Continue Reading

metro

EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

Published

9 hours ago

on

November 14, 2024

By

EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) told FIJ that they have arrested Timber Wabote, the former executive secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCMB), on the grounds of a failed $35 million Bayelsa refinery project fraud.

Dele Oyewale, the EFCC’s spokesperson, confirmed this to FIJ on Thursday.

“It is true,” Oyewale responded to FIJ’s inquiries.

Wabote is accused of misappropriating public funds for a refinery project that should have improved local energy production.

Vanguard reported that the NCDMB under Wabote paid $35 million to support the development of energy infrastructure in the Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa, yet there was nothing to show for it.

The EFCC picked Wabote up following the arrest of Akintoye Adeoye Akindele, the Managing Director of Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, for alleged misappropriation, money laundering and diversion of $35 million in public funds.

READ ALSO:

“NCDMB under the watch of Wabote allegedly paid the $35 million to Akindele to build a 2,000 barrel per day (BPD), refinery, jetty, gas plant, power plant, data centre and tank farm at Brass free trade zone (FTZ), Okpoama Community in Brass LGA of Bayelsa State,” a source with the EFCC had explained.

Since December 2020 when the payments were made, Akindele abandoned the project with little or nothing to show for the huge sum he received.

Preliminary investigations showed that Wabote’s NCDMB financed 17 different projects, including the 2,000 BPD refinery in Brass LGA.

There has been a series of public fund misappropriation cases in the energy sector in recent times.

FIJ earlier reported that members of the House of Representatives summoned three ministers to defend how over $2 billion was spent on renewable energy with not much to show for it.

A recent FIJ report also recently detailed how residents of Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa, have not had power in their homes since July due to the vandalisation of the Ahoada-Yenagoa transmission towers caused by unidentified persons.

The Bayelsa state government told FIJ it was the federal government’s responsibility to provide electricity for residents. The state has no renewable energy options reliable enough to power its capital despite the multi-million-dollar NCMB energy project.

Transparency in the energy sector has become necessary at a time when Nigerians have suffered power instability due to frequent grid collapses.

EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

Continue Reading

metro

Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

Published

10 hours ago

on

November 14, 2024

By

Yahaya Bello

Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has requested an adjournment in the new case against the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, stating that the 30-day window for the previously issued summons is still active.

The commission has granted administrative bail to his co-defendants, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, and asked the court for an extension of time for Bello to appear.

At the resumed hearing before Justice Maryann Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, EFCC Counsel Jamiu Agoro noted that the court’s order from October 3rd had not yet expired.

“In that wise, we feel it will not be appropriate for us to take proceedings while that 30 days is still running. So we have discussed and agreed to come back on the 27th day of November, 2024, my lord,” he told the court.

READ ALSO:

He also mentioned that the previously set date of November 20th was not convenient for the prosecution counsels.

Counsel to the second defendant, Aliyu Saiki, SAN, confirmed that his client had been granted administrative bail by the prosecution and had no objection to the adjournment request. The third defendant’s counsel, ZE Abass, concurred.

The prosecution counsel also requested the court to allow the notice of hearing to be pasted on the last known address of the first defendant.

After hearing from all counsels, the judge granted the EFCC’s application for adjournment and the issuance of the hearing notice.

“I have considered the application for adjournment by the complainant and issuance of hearing notice and the submission by the second and third defendants. The application is granted,” she said.

Justice Anenih then adjourned the case to November 27th for arraignment.

The former governor, alongside Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, are being prosecuted as 1st to 3rd defendants, respectively, in a fresh 16-count charge instituted against them by the EFCC.

Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

Continue Reading

Trending