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Sudan: Evacuation Of Over 2,000 Nigerians Begins Today

Published

3 years ago

April 25, 2023

The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has confirmed plans to evacuate over 2,000 Nigerians in crisis-hit Sudan this morning.

This came on a day management of Air Peace expressed its willingness to evacuate Nigerians stranded in the Horn of Africa country free of charge.

This is even as Chairman/CEO of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, also yesterday encouraged Nigerian students in the war-torn country to remain in their universities to avert danger.

Recall that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffery Onyeama, had in an interview on Channels Television on Sunday night, said the only option remaining for Nigerians to be evacuated out of Sudan was through land, as the airport in the capital, Khartoum, had been shut, adding that the federal government was working with the Egyptian authorities to make this possible but didn’t say when the evuacuation would commence.

But speaking in an interview on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, the Director, Special Duties, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Onimode Bandele, said: “The truth is nobody has been evacuated yet. I just spoke to the ambassador, Olaniyan, in Khartoum a few minutes ago.

“It is true that there are plans to get buses to start moving tomorrow morning (today). And as I speak to you, the Director General, National Emergency Management Agency, Mustapha Habib, is already in Cairo because that is the window we are looking at.”

According to him, the movement is to be perfected between the Nigerian embassy in Khartoum and the NEMA director-general.

On how many Nigerians to be evacuated from the troubled country, Bandele stated that evacuation of a few thousand citizens was in the works.

“Our projection was that most students and others who want to evacuate are about 5,000. But with my discussion with the ambassador this morning (yesterday), the plan is for about 2,650-2,800 to move immediately, including families of embassy staff.

“As these plans continue, we’ll be able to update you with the actual figure and the exact time of departure from Khartoum to Cairo,” he said.

Air Peace seeks FG’s nod to evacuate Nigerians

Also yesterday, The management of Air Peace expressed its willingness to evacuate Nigerians stranded in Sudan free of charge.

The airline noted that Nigerian students and others stranded in Sudan needed help and would receice same should the federal government give it the nod to conduct the airlift.

It would be recalled that the airline in 2019, deployed flights to evacuate Nigerians in South Africa during the heat of the xenophobic attack against Africans living in that country.

Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, who disclosed this, said Nigerians stranded in the crisis-ridden country could be moved to a neigbouring country where the airline could evacuate them.

“I am compelled to help because Nigeria cannot afford to lose her citizens in that country. It would be my own commitment to make sure the stranded Nigerians in the war-torn country are safe.

“Everything must not be left for government alone, especially as the situation calls for urgency and immediate action.

“Again, Air Peace is willing to evacuate Nigerians stranded in Sudan free of charge, if government can get them to a safe and secure airport in any of the neighbouring countries bordering Sudan.

“Everything must not be left for government alone. It will be a privilege and honour of tremendous pride that we will be out there to give every Nigerian stranded in Sudan a sense of pride and oneness in their country.

“We are very ready to do it immediately, no time wasting. Any action that would promote national pride, national cohesion, peace and unity, we are for it.

‘’Again, we have no apologies for believing in our nation and loving the nation, despite certain national challenges.

“If they are moved to Kenya or Uganda or any other country, we will move in to get them out. Some parents have started calling on us to help. We are ready to do this again and again,’’ Onyema said.

Dabiri-Erewa urges Nigerian students to remain on campus

Meanwhile, the Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, yesterday cautioned Nigerian students in Sudan to remain in their universities to avert danger.

Dabiri-Erewa, who spoke in an interview on Channels Television, said: “The issue of those students that gathered together, took a bus somewhere, here’s the thing: they’ve all had to go back to their universities because it was very risky of them.

“Just imagine in a war situation, you just see 20 buses moving without any permission from the military authorities, we’ll endanger the lives. So, that is why they’ve had to return.”

The NIDCOM boss also cautioned against certain mobilisation efforts of the National Association of Nigeria Students, NANS, involving the pooling of funds to facilitate the transportation of Nigerian students in the North African country away from their campuses.

“NANS, which I understand came up with this thing of ‘pay $100, come somewhere, the things is, move to where? So, there’s no point taking you from one danger to another danger.

“There were some people that were leaving, that actually had to turn back because they would have been killed. So, now, they’ve returned to their various campuses,” she said.

She explained that the Nigerian mission had informed the students of a point of connection where buses would convey them.

The most likely places, according to her, would be some borders in Egypt from where the students would be transported home by air.

Dabiri-Erewa argued that there had been “tremendous progress”, noting that every Nigerian student now had a point of contact.

She added: “Buses will take them to a location. We’re looking at places in Egypt – Luxor and some other place there.

‘’So, really, there’s been tremendous progress, Mr President has given his nod immediately this happened, so there’s a lot.’’

More countries, including the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Japan and Korea, among others, deployed aircraft to Djibouti where they had started evacuating their citizens back home. Those trapped had earlier been airlifted to Djibouti.
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Ovia South West Council Chairman, Edobor Bags National Merit Award

Published

4 hours ago

October 24, 2025

Editor

The Acting Chairman of Ovia South West Local Government Council in Edo State, Hon. Charles Nosakhare Edobor, has bagged the 2025 Nigerian Local Government Merit Award (LOGMA).

He was awarded as the Best Performing Local Government Chairman in Nigeria (Security and infrastructure development, purposeful leadership).

Speaking after being conferred with the prestigious award, Edobor applauded the organizers for recognizing his administration’s commitment to localizing good governance.

He highlighted his leadership’s remarkable strides in building a sustainable, livable, and prosperous council area through numerous people-oriented programmes and projects-particularly in road infrastructure and the provision of basic social amenities.

Edobor dedicated the award to the Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, and to the good people of Ovia south west Local Government Area.

He expressed satisfaction with the honour. He emphasized that the award would further spur him to work harder in pursuing people-centred programmes aligned with Senator Monday Okpebholo’s S.H.I.N.E and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Edobor commended Governor Okpebholo for his visionary leadership and unwavering support for local government administrations across the state.

He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to deepening rural development, empowering youth and women, and ensuring the dividends of democracy reach every ward in Ovia south west local government.

Earlier, in his welcome address at the event which held on Wednesday at the National Merit House, Abuja, the National Coordinator of LOGMA, Chief Bayode Ojo, stated that the award was designed to showcase the achievements of local government chairmen and reward excellence in grassroots governance – particularly those who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to promoting grassroots development despite the challenges confronting the third tier of government.

He congratulated all the awardees for making the final list after rigorous scrutiny and spot-checking of some of their executed projects to verify the authenticity of their claims.

Chief Ojo further urged the awardees to continue to be shining examples of sustainable growth at the grassroots and in the country at large.

News

JUST IN: Tinubu Sacks CDS Musa, Names New Army Boss

Published

4 hours ago

October 24, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has made changes in the hierarchy of the Service Chiefs in furtherance of the efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria to strengthen the national security architecture.

The President appointed General Olufemi Oluyede to replace General Christopher Musa as the new Chief of Defence Staff.

More to follow…

News

Lagos Inaugurates 24-hour Traffic Management Operations

Published

22 hours ago

October 23, 2025

Editor

The Lagos State Government has launched two transformative initiatives designed to recalibrate traffic governance and restore environmental sanctity across the metropolis.

In a visionary bid to guarantee seamless mobility and safe commuting at all hours, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has formally instituted a 24-hour operational framework for traffic management and enforcement across Lagos State.

The groundbreaking initiative, officially commissioned by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, constitutes a seminal moment in the evolution of Lagos’s transportation governance.

It manifests Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu’s strategic ambition to ensure the uninterrupted movement of people, goods and services within Nigeria’s economic epicentre—a city that operates continuously, unhindered by congestion or disorder.

According to Giwa, the 24-hour operational regime epitomises the administration’s steadfast dedication to constant vigilance, operational efficiency and disciplined traffic regulation, especially as the metropolis approaches the festive period, traditionally characterised by heightened vehicular and commercial activity.

This information was contained in a statement yesterday by the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq.

He elaborated that the framework is meticulously designed to facilitate continuous monitoring, rapid emergency response and immediate clearance of traffic obstructions irrespective of time, thereby mitigating congestion and enhancing the commuter experience.

“This initiative exemplifies the Lagos State Government’s resolute commitment to safeguarding mobility, preserving lives and sustaining economic productivity through perpetual traffic oversight,” Giwa stated.

A pivotal component of the initiative is the establishment of the Night Rapid Response Gang, a specialised unit within LASTMA charged with swiftly addressing nocturnal traffic incidents, including vehicular breakdowns, collisions and other obstructions along critical arteries of the metropolis.

In tandem with these traffic management reforms, the Lagos State Government also executed a comprehensive clearance operation along Apapa Road, Costain and the Ijora Under Bridge, eliminating illegal structures, shanties and unregulated trading that had long obstructed free vehicular flow and compromised public safety.

The far-reaching enforcement exercise, spearheaded by Sola Giwa in coordination with LASTMA, the Nigeria Police Force, Mobile Police (MOPOL), the Lagos State Task Force and the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), culminated in the removal of unauthorised traders, makeshift structures and multiple environmental infractions.

During the operation, enforcement teams uncovered an illegal diesel dumping site and impounded substantial quantities of expired plantain chips and cheese balls, stored under unsanitary conditions—a testament to the government’s prioritisation of public health and environmental integrity.

The exercise followed persistent warnings and public sensitisation campaigns urging illegal occupants under bridges to vacate. Teams also identified blocked drainage channels choked with metallic debris, contributing to perennial flooding and environmental degradation.

Furthermore, several commercial buses and tricycles operating unlawfully along the newly constructed Costain Bridge and Apapa Road were impounded.

Shanties adjacent to St. Catholic Church School, Apapa Road, were demolished, reinstating the area to its intended urban and educational purpose, while criminal hideouts beneath the Ijora Bridge were dismantled to enhance public security.

Giwa reaffirmed that the Sanwo-Olu administration will not compromise on public safety, environmental protection or the rule of law, stressing that Lagos must remain a city distinguished by structure, order and discipline.

General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, appealed to traders, transport operators and commuters to comply with government directives, utilise designated markets and parking facilities, and actively support the administration’s efforts to maintain a safe, efficient and orderly metropolis.

He emphasised that the integration of 24-hour traffic management with environmental enforcement represents the Lagos State Government’s holistic approach to sustainable urban mobility—one that blends innovative regulation, proactive enforcement and civic responsibility.