Evacuation of Nigerians from Ukraine by the Federal Government will start tomorrow, Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama told the House of Representatives leadership yesterday.
Onyeama, who dropped the hint during a meeting with House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, said officials of the Federal Government have received 204 Nigerians in Romania, Hungary and Turkey.
It was learnt yesterday that Air Peace Airline may be contracted to evacuate the stranded citizens.
However, the minister and the Speaker did not confirm this during their meeting.
A statement on Sunday by Special Assistant to Presidential Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity Malam Garba Shehu, put the number of Nigerians stranded in Ukraine at more than 4,000.
Onyeama confirmed that 204 Nigerians resident in Ukraine have been received and provided accommodations by officials of Nigerian Embassy in Romania and others.
His confirmation came on a day that parents of stranded students stormed the Russian Embassy in Abuja to protest President Vladimir Putin’s order on the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian military.
Onyeama was invited by the Speaker to discuss the plight of Nigerians caught in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The minister said the evacuation, earlier planned for yesterday, was rescheduled for tomorrow to give enough room for his ministry, the House and the Nigerian foreign missions in Ukraine, Poland and Russia to complete the formalities of moving Nigerians from Ukraine to safe borders with neighbouring countries.
The minister reassured the Speaker that things were under control in Ukraine as the Federal Government had put necessary arrangements in place to ensure the safe return of Nigerians.
According to him, the ministry, in conjunction with the missions, had in the last few days, completed formalities for Nigerians to move to safe border points from where they would be transported in buses to the airports.
He listed Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and even Russia, among the countries to be used as exit points.
The minister, who said there were about 5,600 Nigerian students in Ukraine, added that there were also non-students – some of whom might not have been legally documented.
He hold the Speaker that working closely with the governments of those countries, the ministry had secured their cooperation to grant access to Nigerians into their territories, preparatory for the evaluation.
Onyeama dismissed reports that Africans, particularly Nigerians, were not allowed to leave Ukraine or granted access into the neighbouring countries, blaming the chaos at some of the borders on “panic” and the fact that so many people were rushing at the time on hearing the sound of bombs and artillery fire.
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“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 Bucharest; but all of this is being sorted out and we are constantly working to ensure that everything goes on very smoothly,” the minister said.
Explained what informed the delay in evacuating Nigerians, Onyeama said 80 to 90 per cent of countries and people did not believe Russia would indeed invade Ukraine.
Speaker Gbajabiamila commended the ministry for the steps taken so far. He said the country must find ways to quicken its response time to emergencies.
He said all response mechanisms, including funds, airplanes and other equipment, must readily be on standby to respond to life-threatening situations such as the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and how they affected Nigerians.
“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 said.
Urging House Majority Leader Alhassan Ado-Dogiwa and Chairman, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Yakubu Buba, on the need to ensure safe return of all the Nigerians in Ukraine, he said: “These people are our constituents. You need to get your hands dirty as well.”
He urged the minister to keep the House informed on any obstacles that may arise in the course of evacuating the stranded Nigerians in Ukraine.
But in a statement by the Permanent Secretary, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Gabriel Aduda, quoted the foreign affairs minister as saying officials of the embassy at Bucharest, Romania received 130 Nigerians while those in Budapest, Hungary safely received and accommodated 74 Nigerians.
He said another batch of about 200 was expected in Budapest yesterday.
The statement reads: “In the last 24 hours, officials of the Nigerian Embassy have received 130 Nigerians safely at Bucharest, Romania, where they have been provided accommodation.
“Also, officials at Budapest, Hungary, have received and accommodated 74 Nigerians safely, where they are being documented for subsequent travel arrangements back to Nigeria.
“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 materials for evacuees.”
Also yesterday, the protesting parents of stranded Nigerians in their numbers carried placards and also chanted songs saying: “Putin, let there be peace” and “We are parents of Nigerians trapped in Ukraine”.
They also wore T-shirts with the emblem “Stop the war”.
The protesters, which include parents, concerned Nigerians, lamented the horrific reports they were receiving about their loved ones/wards fleeing Ukraine.
They called for peace between Russia and Ukraine.
