By Ebi Kesiena
No fewer than 542 stranded Nigerians in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been evacuated by the Federal Government.
The evacuees arrived Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja aboard a Max Air Chartered flight operated with the Airline’s Boeing 747.
On board the plane, which touched down at 4:29 a.m, were 79 males, 460 females and 3 infants.
The head of press unit of NEMA, Manzo Ezekiel confirmed the development in a statement on Sunday adding that the stranded Nigerians were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
He explained that the returnees were examined by health administrators and profiled by relevant authorities, including the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, before they were given transport fares to return to their various destinations.
“A total of 542 stranded Nigerians in the United Arab Emirates, UAE evacuated back home by the Federal Government arrived Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja on board Maxair charted flight on Sunday morning at 4:29am.
“The evacuees consisted of 79 males, 460 females and 3 infants.
“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’’
Earlier, Director General NEMA Mustapha Habib Ahmed who officially received the returnees on behalf of the Federal Government admonished them to learn from their experiences and be law abiding citizens to promote economic growth and positive image of Nigeria.
Ahmed who was represented by the Director of Finance and Accounts Alhaji Sani Ahmed Jiba said the Federal Government had approved the evacuation and provision of the token for the returnees to support their local movement back home.
The Consul General of Nigeria in Dubai Ambassador Atinuke Taibat Mohammed who accompanied the returnees back on the flight appreciated the Federal Government for the special intervention in safe evacuation of the stranded citizens back home.
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.
The evacuation followed the increasing harassment of Nigerians in the Middle East Country following the tightening of her immigration laws which invalidate the stay of some Nigerians, and is coming 24 hours after UAE suspended visa issuance to Nigerians visiting Dubai, a decision that has triggered several missed flights and caused travel chaos in the industry.
