Onyema

The Federal Government has shortlisted two local airlines to evacuate Nigerians stranded in foreign countries with high cases of the coronavirus disease.

The minister of foreign affairs, Mr. Godfrey Onyeama, disclosed this at media briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja yesterday.

Although he did not name the airlines, NewsGazette learnt that Air Peace and either Aero or Arik were considered for the job.

It was gathered that Air Peace was the first choice because it has the capacity and has been involved in such operations since September 2019 when it evacuated some 502 Nigerians from South Africa during the xenophobic attacks in that country.

Recently too, it airlifted 274 Israelis from Nigeria, federal government’s medical supplies from Turkey and 15-man Chinese medics, including 16-ton test kits, ventilators, disinfection machine, disposable medical masks, drugs, infrared thermometer and other items ordered by the federal government from China.

It’s believed that about 1,000 Nigerians have approached the federal government through the country’s foreign missions to evacuate them as the contagion continues to spread globally.

Onyeama said the ministry was already collating names of those to be evacuated and was also in touch with Nigerian embassies abroad.

He added that both the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the ministry of health would be part of the engagement.

“We are in touch with our various embassies around the world and we are already collating names. We have also selected the two airlines that will be responsible for the evacuation. The numbers of those to be brought are high and the places where we can isolate them are not enough for the travellers, so we will have to do it in a staggered fashion and together with NEMA and the ministry of health. We will have to go with an agreement to be bringing them according to the number of beds and so forth that are available. We are almost ready to go,” said the minister.

Newsgazett