Kasim Sumaina in Abuja
A total of 191 stranded Nigerians in India were yesterday evacuated back home by the federal government. They returnees who arrived at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, were evacuated by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on behalf of the federal government. They were received by a reception team led by NEMA and other relevant agencies.
After being profiled and screened, the returnees were given a token of hundred US Dollars or equivalent for transportation to their various homes. Addressing the returnees, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, welcomed them on behalf of the federal government.
The minister, who was represented by a Deputy Director in the ministry Dr. Suleiman Abubakar, admonished them to be law abiding. She said the token provided by the federal government was meant to support their movement home. In his remark, Director General NEMA, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, advised the returnees to learn from their experiences and be law abiding citizens.
The NEMA boss, who was represented by the Deputy Director Search and Rescue, Ishaya Isa Chonoko, said the federal government had approved the evacuation to ease the suffering of Nigerians stranded abroad to bring them back home safely. The returnees appreciated the federal government for the special intervention in their safe evacuation back home.
Among officials that received the returnees were staff of airport agencies, military, Nigerian Police, Nigerian Immigration Service, National Commission for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), NAPTIP, Nigerian Diaspora Commission, NDLEA, Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigerian Customs Service, Port Health Services, NCDC and others.