542 Stranded Nigerians Return To Abuja From UAE
The Federal Government has received 542 Nigerian returnees who were stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Naija News reports that the returnees were received at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja on board MaxAir charted flight on Sunday morning.
In a statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Manzo Ezekiel, the returnees consisted of 79 males, 460 females, and three children.
He said the returnees were examined by health administrators and profiled by relevant authorities before they were given transport fares to return to their various homes.
The statement reads: “A total of 542 stranded Nigerians in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) evacuated back home by the federal government arrived at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja on board Maxair charted flight on Sunday morning at 4:29 am. The evacuees consisted 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, NCDC and others.
“On arrival, the returnees were screened by the Health officials, profiled by various relevant agencies, and cleared by Nigerian Immigration Service before being given a token of transport fare by NEMA before leaving the airport.”
While receiving the returnees officially, NEMA Director-General, Mustapha Ahmed, urged the returnees to learn from their experiences and be law-abiding citizens.
Ahmed, who was represented by the Director of Finance and Accounts, Sani Jiba, said the federal government had approved the repatriation and provision of the token for the returnees to support their local movement back home.
In her remark, the Consul-General of Nigeria in Dubai, Atinuke Mohammed, commended the federal government for ensuring a safe evacuation of the returnees and accompanied them back on the local flight to their homes.
This article was originally published on Naija News
