By Adurey Lotechukwu
FRI, APRIL 24 2020-theG&BJournal-The Minister of Foreign of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama said that the total number of Nigerians officially in China seeking to return to Nigeria are 9 not 72 and as he understands from the Nigerian Consulate, and having met with the Chinese Ambassador and discussed the issue, the figure are also within that range-9-13.
‘’So, where the figure 72 came from ‘’I really have no idea,’’ Onyeama said during the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing in Abuja today.
With regards to the Nigerians being forced to pay their bills even when they all have run out of cash, he said the Chinese Ambassador assured him that they will address the issue, and the Chinese government was going to also extend some assistance to the Nigerians.
He suggested that part of their predicament is the delay by the Nigerian government in evacuating them because of the shortfall in isolation centres and hospital beds where they will be isolated when they return.
Responding to question about Nigerians in the UK, he said that it is a situation that the Task Force studied carefully and received the best medical advice. He said they finally decided that since there were some countries where it was not going to even be possible to get any testing done, that it was better for all the normal precautions to be taken on the flight and to be tested when they reach the country.
There are over 2000 Nigerians in UK alone who are itching to return to the country.
‘’We have been looking for hotels in Abuja and in Lagos. I spoke this afternoon with the governor of Lagos State and it is a real challenge even for the government of Lagos State, to find hostels that are willing to take this people in for 14 days. A lot off hotels clearly feels it would damage their brands as well as have some effects on their business and so that has been a real problem for us now,’’ he said.
‘’The other alternative is for people to come back and be isolated in their homes, but with such numbers, people on the Task Force feel there is a risk that there is no guarantee that they will stay in their homes under quarantine and it would very difficult to monitor that number of people for two weeks. So this is a real dilemma that we are facing.’’
He said, hopefully, the government will find a solution to that.
‘’We understand what they are going through, their financial challenges and we are looking at all the possibilities to really ease the burden on them and to facilitate their coming home.
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