The Federal Government (FG) has announced the purchase of 40 buses for the evacuation of Nigerians stranded in war-torn Sudan.
Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Foreign Affairs, revealed this on Wednesday, saying the buses will cost the nation $1.2 million.
During a press conference following the Federal Executive Council meeting, Onyeama stated that the government will evacuate residents within days of Sudan’s 72-hour ceasefire.
He claims that the government has finished talks with the Sudanese government and that they are on the same page. He stated that no diplomat will be given precedence during the evacuation and that the government will also prioritize women and children.
Affirming that no Nigerian lives have been lost thus far, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zubairu Dada revealed that the first batch of Nigerians is being transported as of the time of filing this report, saying that nationals will be transported via buses into Egypt and then airlifted.
He further stated that several Nigerians had already been flown to Saudi Arabia in preparation for airlifting.
The two ministers’ comments come only hours after the first batch of buses for the evacuation of Nigerian students from Sudan arrived at the collection places.
The buses arrived on Tuesday night, according to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), with more buses anticipated to arrive on Wednesday with assistance from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Nigerian Embassy in Sudan.
