FG, Airforce, State govs. find ways to help stranded Nigerians out of Sudan, and Egypt. Nigerians stranded at the Egypt border will now have their visa fees paid for, according to Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission.
On Saturday, April 29, 2023, Dabiri-Erewa said that the Mission in Egypt had made arrangements to pay $9 per person, as well as $25 visa fees for those stranded at the border.
The stranded nationals have not been allowed to cross the border into Egypt since their arrival on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Dabiri-Erewa has urged the authorities to create better conditions for those stranded at the border.
In Egypt, one cannot travel from one region to another without an exit permit, making it difficult for stranded Nigerians to move around.
Air Force contributes to help
To further help the stranded Nigerians, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is getting ready to depart with food and other supplies for Aswan.
The Mission in Egypt is also expected to send a CI30 to the border to transport those stranded to their various destinations.
This comes after the Federal Government called on relevant authorities along contiguous borders of Sudan to create a humane condition for about 7,000 nationals, including Nigerians, to have unfettered access to their various destinations.
State governments help their own out of Sudan
Some state governments have already begun evacuating their indigenes or those sponsored by them. Borno, Jigawa, and Kaduna states have come for their indigenes.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Community (Elders Forum) in Sudan, Dr. Hashim Na’Allah, confirmed this, saying, “Yes, Kaduna State and Jigawa State governments evacuated their students today.”
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However, those who were not evacuated expressed disappointment as the ceasefire between Sudan and Ethiopia ends on Sunday.
The Embassy of Nigeria in Sudan on Friday said the second batch of the evacuation of stranded Nigerians in Khartoum to Egypt would commence on Saturday, April 29. This was contained in a statement signed by the Charge d’ Affairs, H. Y. Garko.
