The Federal Government has evacuated 542 stranded Nigerians in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) back home.
The stranded Nigerians arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, onboard Maxair charted flight on Sunday morning at 4:29 am. The evacuees consist of 79 males, 460 females, and three infants.
They were received by a Federal Government team led by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and airport officials, security agencies, including National Commission for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), NAPTIP, Nigerian Diaspora Commission, NDLEA, Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigerian Customs Service, Port Health Services, among others.
On arrival, the returnees were screened by health officials, profiled by various relevant agencies and cleared by the Nigerian Immigration Service and given a token of transport fare by NEMA before leaving the airport.
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Speaking earlier, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, NEMA director-general, who officially received the returnees on behalf of the Federal Government admonished them to learn from their experiences and be law-abiding citizens that promote economic growth and positive image of Nigeria.
Sani Ahmed Jiba, the NEMA boss who was represented by the director of finance and accounts, said the Federal Government had approved the evacuation and provision of the token for the returnees to support their movement back to their homes.
In her remarks, Atinuke Taibat Mohammed, the consul-general of Nigeria in Dubai ambassador, who accompanied the returnees back on the flight, appreciated the Federal Government for the special intervention in safe evacuation of the stranded citizens back home.
