Photos: 490 stranded Nigerians evacuated from Libya

By Precious Akutamadu

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, on Sunday in Port Harcourt stated that the Federal Government would rehabilitate and empower 490 Nigerians evacuated from Libya.

Onyeama gave the peace of mind on the arrival of the returnees at Port Harcourt Airport in Rivers, the place a reception centre has been set as much as obtain and profile the returnees  earlier than being transported to their numerous states of origin.

The returnees are the primary batch of an estimated 5037 Nigerians to be ferried residence by two indigenous airways, Max Air.

Onyeama had led a reality discovering group to Libya to barter with the federal government to get the stranded Nigerians residence.

The Nigerian mission in Libya, he stated,  is coordinating the identification of the Nigerian migrants along with a technical group for the evacuation workouts which is made up of representatives of all related companies.

Onyeama additionally stated that President Muhammadu Buhari has made assets obtainable to make sure that returnees have been evacuated as rapidly as attainable and allow them match again into the society.

“The president had made provisions for every logistics to make sure that we bring you back from Libya,” he stated.

He was accompanied by officers from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Director General, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

Also within the group are the Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service and Senior Special Adviser to the President On Diaspora.

He stated: “We negotiated with Libyan Government to just be sure you are right here; we all know that lots of you have been trafficked and handed by humiliation.

“We are happy with you, you maintained your dignity regardless of all odds, we hope that  one factor that you’ve learnt is that your life issues to Mr President and all Nigerians.

“You have come home; you will not be abandoned; there is a place and provision for you to be rehabilitated and be educated; we will also train you on skills to be empowered in your country.”

The  Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr Muhammad Babandede, stated that Nigerians have the proper to journey to any a part of the world.

Babandede additionally said that there have been residents of Nigeria who had good jobs and papers in Libya.

“There are Nigerians who’ve real papers in Libya. Not all Nigerians have been in detention or within the camp.

“So many of them have good jobs, so let Nigerians not think that Nigerians are committing crimes in Libya,” he stated.

According to Babandede, the Libyan Government renewed the passports of Nigerians doing good jobs in that nation after negotiating with the Nigerian Government.

He additionally urged Nigerians to journey by authorized means to any nation of their alternative.

Mr Kenneth Kobani, the Secretary to the River State Government, additionally counseled President Buhari for his effort to make sure that the struggling of Nigerians in Libya would come to an finish.

Kobani, who represented Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers, stated that the State Government would collaborate with the Federal Government to rehabilitate and empower the returnees.