Tobias Sylvester
President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed that his administration will continue to defend the interest of Nigerians wherever they may be as the nation begins evacuation of citizens in Ukraine amid the invasion of Russia.
Buhari Speaks On Evacuation Of Nigerians In Ukraine
KanyiDaily had earlier reported that the first batch of Nigerians evacuated from Ukraine arrived at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Friday morning.
A statement by the Special Adviser to the President, Femi Adesina, quoted the president speaking on Thursday in Nairobi, Kenya at a Townhall Meeting with some Nigerians in the country.
Buhari, who was represented at the event by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, promised to defend Nigerians wherever they may be in the world, especially now that many are stranded in Ukraine amid its war with Russia.
He said, “On our part as a Government, we shall continue to defend the interests of all Nigerians wherever they may be. We have demonstrated this over time, as we have had cause to evacuate our citizens in harm’s way abroad.
“We did it in Libya, South Africa and we have just commenced doing the same in Ukraine, where thousands of our citizens, especially students, are trapped by the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.”
President Buhari also commended Nigerians in Kenya for the unity that exists among them. He asked them to respect the laws and be good ambassadors of Nigeria.
He said the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) was established as a result of the determination of the current administration to forge a partnership with the ‘ambassadors-at large’ towards building the country together.
According to the president, as part of his diasporan agenda, “we expect your willingness to ‘give back’ to Nigeria, some of your resources, talents, skills and global exposure in the development of our great country, Nigeria”.
He asked the ambassadors to key into the programmes of NiDCOM, especially the Nigerian Diaspora Investment Trust Fund of which mandate is holistic for all Nigerians abroad.
The president added that the platform will assist them to expeditiously contribute to the development of their fatherland.
He also assured them that his administration is forging ahead with the provision of critical infrastructure for the collective prosperity of all despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and activities of insurgents.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chief executive officer of NiDCOM, appreciated the ambassadors for honouring the invitation, asking them to register with the commission in order to have an up-to-date database for easy interface.
On his part, Nicholas Ozor, president of Nigerians in Diaspora (Kenya), expressed his appreciation to the president for always meeting with them whenever he is in the country.
Ozor asked the president to intervene in some of the challenges confronting them, such as the stoppage of visa on arrival for Nigerians; delay in getting student permit; obstacles to ease of doing business, and undue negative profiling of Nigerians.
KanyiDaily recalls that President Muhammadu Buhari had also approved $8.5 million for the evacuation of 5,000 Nigerians stranded as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war.
