Amb. Bolaji Akinremi, Director, Legal and Consular, Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the Federal Government has so far evacuated 3,000 Nigerians stranded abroad in two months.

Accirding to him, the welfare of Nigerians remains government’s top priority.

Akinremi made this known on Wednesday in Abuja when the Federal Government received another batch of 418 stranded Nigerians from Saudi Arabia at the FCT Hajj Camp, a temporary shelter for returnees.

Akinremi said the 418 returnees were among the three batch of stranded Nigerians that were evacuated from Saudi Arabia in one week.

He said that aside the evacuation, the Federal Government would be giving each of the returnees above 10 years of age #20 000 each for transportation back to their states and to aid their resettlement.

“This set of returnees from Saudi Arabia came in three batches. 255 came in on Monday, 398 came in on Tuesday and today the third batch of 418 have just arrived,

“They will be staying in this facility, the FCT Hajj camp which has been provided by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for three days.

“In line with the COVID-19 protocols, the first day will be for arrival, the second day for COVID-19 testing and profiling while the third day would be to get their results and depart to their various states.

“The Federal Government beyond evacuation, has made provision for a new life for them. N20,000 will be given to adults and anyone above 10 years. This will help them for transportation and to start a little business.

“Within two months we have received 3,000 stranded Nigerians abroad and the Federal Government is doing everything possible to ensure no Nigerian outside the shores of the country is in crises”, Akinremi said.

Akinremi also explained that the evacuation process was not just focused on Saudi Arabia but across all countries where Nigerians were stranded.

He said that last week, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) also facilitated the return of 120 stranded Nigerians from Libya.

Mrs Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, Director-General, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) said the Nigerian government was keen on rescuing all trafficked and stranded citizens abroad.

Suleiman-Ibrahim said the profiling of the returnees by the Federal government would allow for proper planning of their resettlement and rehabilitation process.

She explained that the returnees consist of trafficked victims, willing participants who went to seek greener pastures abroad and some who were born in Saudi Arabia.

“Form January till now, we have been able to profile 1,250 returnees from Saudi Arabia, in March from Libya we profiled 117 and right now with the recent people coming back we have been able to profile 437.

“They have all been captured and this helps the government to be able to plan toward any future interventions to ensure that these people are being able to reintegrate into society properly and they are properly rehabilitated.

“I want to assure you that the government is doing all it can to ensure that these people are back home.

“There is no government that has made the most interventions like this government and we will continue to do our best,” Iman-Suleiman said.

Responding to concerns that some of the returnees do not look Nigerian, Iman-Suleiman said a few of the returnees were citizens of West African countries.

“During our profiling in January, out of 1,250 people, only five people were non-Nigerians and the ones that are non-Nigerians are from ECOWAS countries.

“And we make the right kind of arrangement to make sure they get home as well,” Iman-Suleiman said. (NAN)