By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Nigeria has spent at least $1.2 million (₦552,564,000.00) to hire 40 buses to evacuate about 2,400 stranded citizens out of the troubled Sudan to Cairo Egypt, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama announced on Wednesday.
The high cost of the evacuation was to provide security cover for the eight-hour journey from Luxol to Cairo and the eleven-hour trip from Aswan to Cairo, the Minister told reporters in Abuja after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Despite the ceasefire agreement between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary agency, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighting had resumed on Wednesday, local media reports.
The government had come under criticism over the delay in evacuating thousands of stranded nationals in the war-ravaged capital, Khartoum and the densely populated Darfur region.
The umbrella body of students, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in the country had decried harsh condition in the country as water scarcity, inability to access internet facility and power lingers.
While noting that no Nigerian lost their lives in the conflict, Onyeama said there were no talks about alternative plans for continued education for the evacuees, most of whom are students of the University of Khartoum.
About 40 buses were sent to move Nigerians out of Khartoum and early Wednesday.The Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission explained that the evacuation planned for Tuesday failed due to logistic challenges.
Chairperson of the Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, confirmed that the new travel plans were finalised Tuesday night.
