The Chairman, Air Peace, Allen Onyema has expressed the willingness to evacuate Nigerians who are stranded in Sudan, North-East Africa free of charge.
In a statement on Monday, he said Nigerian students and others stranded in the war-racked nation urgently “need our help.”
”If the Nigerians could be moved to a neighbouring country the airline would fly there and evacuate them, as Sudan’s airspace is closed from civil aviation flights”, he suggested.
Onyema said he is compelled to help because Nigeria cannot afford to lose her citizens in that country, and that everything must not be left to the government alone, especially as the situation calls for urgency and immediate action.
“It will be a privilege and honour of tremendous pride that we will be out there to give every Nigerian stranded in Sudan a sense of pride and oneness in their country”.
“We are very ready to do it immediately. No time wasting. Any action that will promote national pride, national cohesion, peace and unity, we are for it. Again, we have no apologies for believing in our nation and loving the nation despite certain national challenges. If they are moved to Kenya or Uganda or any other country, we will move in to get them out. Some parents have started calling on us to help. We are ready to do this again and again,” he said.
In 2019, Air Peace deployed flights to evacuate Nigerians in South Africa when the xenophobic attack against Africans living in that country threatened the lives of Nigerians.
Meanwhile,
The Federal Government has assured Nigerians in Sudan that their safety is its priority.
In a statement from the Embassy in Khartoum, the Charge D’ Affairs, H.Y Garko, has urged Nigerian students to remain indoors while it makes arrangements for their safe evacuation from that country.
It also advised the students to disregard the notice circulated by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Sudan, calling on them to converge at the African International University, NANSS office, and El-Razi University, for evacuation or to bring $100 or $200 for evacuation.
According to the statement, it is still dangerous to embark on a journey toward the borders of Sudan without security clearance and guarantee from the Sudanese authorities.
On Saturday, April 15, the Federal Government said it has set up a committee to facilitate the rescue of its citizens from Sudan.
In a statement, the Head of the Press Unit, National Emergency Management Agency NEMA, Manzo Ezekiel said the committee consists of professional emergency responders as well as search and rescue experts.
Since the unrest started about a week ago in Sudan, there have been calls from Nigerians including the Nigeria Labour Congress for the immediate evacuation of Nigerians from that country.
FRCN/Adebukola Aluko
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