…Commends Imo, Abia, Enugu as 83 more evacuees arrive
By Nkiruka Nnorom
The Federal Government has called on state governments to complement its efforts in evacuating and resettling Nigerians at risk abroad, warning that no citizen should be abandoned to an uncertain fate.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, made the appeal in an update posted on her X handle, saying that states must assist in “cushioning the difficult process of relocation and resettlement of their returning indigenes” under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Citizen Diplomacy agenda.Her appeal for assistance came as a new batch of 83 Nigerian nationals was evacuated from South Africa following continued xenophobic attacks and anti-foreigner sentiments in the country.She specifically commended three states, including Imo, Abia and Enugu states for their intervention so far.“We, therefore, call on State Governments to complement the federal government’s efforts towards ensuring that no citizen at risk abroad is abandoned to an uncertain fate,” she said.Odumegwu-Ojukwu explained that the new repatriation was made possible by public-spirited private individuals, and the group of business friends who collectively sponsored the air tickets of the returnees.
