TheNewsGuru

Tag: Sudan

  • How CBN system delayed evacuation of Nigerians from Sudan

    How CBN system delayed evacuation of Nigerians from Sudan

    A Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Sani Gwarzo has opened up on how the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) system of money transfer delayed the evacuation of Nigerians from Sudan.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Dr Gwarzo while briefing newsmen on the situation with Nigerian students in Sudan on Sunday in Abuja narrated efforts being made to ensure the students and other Nigerians escaping the war in Sudan are evacuated.

    Gwarzo disclosed that about 1,519 stranded Nigerians in Sudan are expected to leave the capital Khartoum via hired buses to Port Sudan and other designated border points for their onward evacuation to Nigeria.

    This development followed the extension of another 72 hours ceasefire agreement reached between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Para-military Rapid Support Forces in Sudan.

    Port Sudan is a port on the Red Sea in Eastern part of Sudan and the Capital of the State of Red Sea.

    Gwarzo, who is the chairperson of the federal government situation room, on the evacuation exercise, explained that the stranded students are expected to leave on April. 30.

    He said government had already secured 31 buses in addition to the reserve buses kept in case of unforeseen circumstances.

    “We have given the bus company our word that under no circumstances shall they leave anybody on ground; even if it is one more person that is remaining let them activate our reserve list and bring out the new buses.

    “And I spoke to the student leader and the Embassy in this regard, so we are expecting each bus will carry 49 persons and if you calculate this number times 31 buses it will give you the number of persons to be evacuated today,” he said.

    The federal government also clarified the controversy over the 1.2 million dollars used to hire buses for the evacuation of stranded Nigerians from Khartoum to the designated border point.

    “Do you know how much it takes to hire a bus from Khartoum to the border?, is 30,000 dollars per bus and you times it by 40 buses, that is where 1.2 million dollars comes into.

    “So, we transfer the first tranche of the money approved by federal government, which is 400,000 dollars, to them as deposit if you take our 400,000 dollars what does it come to you is 1/3 of the total sum.

    “So, they gave us 13 buses times 30,000 dollars it will give us 390,000 dollars believing that will continue with the evacuation, but they stopped giving us buses that our money has expired.

    ”But, they kept the remaining 10,000 dollars and told us that our money has finished untill we complete the remaining balance because we are meant to understand in Sudan there is nothing like you deposit money until assignment is done before you complete the remaining balance.

    “We started transferring the remaining balance in tranches and believe me you don’t transfer money to Sudan directly, you have to get somebody who knows the company who will transfer and give them cash then go into agreement.

    “And the transport company threatened that they will not move on with the evacuation process and whoever thinks that 1.2 million dollars will be enough to move people from Khartoum to the border and airlift them to Nigeria is being economical with the truth,” he said.

    Gwarzo further explained that the federal government had to enter into agreement with the transport company to ensure due process were followed in the transfer of the funds.

    “We signed an MoU with them and at every stage we report this to DSS and NFIU so that they can monitor the movement of the money.

    ”And the company too should know that in Nigeria if you transfer money from government account, it does not go direct because it has a dashboard that it can be seen.

    “We had to alert the DSS and NFIU before we send this money, though in the process the money got delayed by the Central Bank System and this is what they call swift electronic cash transfer system, it got delayed,” he said.

    According to him, that is the hitches they experienced in the first phase of the evacuation exercise.

    He therefore emphasised that the federal government is more interested in the safety and successful evacuation of the trapped students.

    Gwarzo said while government is doing its best to evacuate them, he also urged the media to report subjectively as the health and safety of the evacuees and the emotional feelings of their parents are at stake.

  • Sudan: FG defends $1.2m spent on evacuating Nigerians

    Sudan: FG defends $1.2m spent on evacuating Nigerians

    The Federal Government has explained that the sum of 1.2 million dollars allegedly spent in hiring buses for the evacuation of Nigerian students in Sudan was due to the dire need of the war situation.

    This is contained in a statement signed by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs Mrs Rhoda Iliya.

    It was also signed by officials of the ministry of foreign affairs Ambassador Janet Olisa and Dr Sani Gwarzo of Humanitarian affairs ministry in Abuja on Saturday.

    ”The outcry over the negotiated sum of 1.2 million dollars for the buses hired for the exercise, is uncalled for.

    ”The amount in question was negotiated in a condition of war and where there are competing demands for same bus services by other countries also trying to evacuate their citizens.

    ”The general public is hereby advised to discountenance the unverified information being circulated on the social media as some of them are either due to ignorance or sheer mischief,” it said.
    The statement also appealed for cooperation and understanding of all Nigerians in the ongoing efforts to ensure all Nigerians stranded in Sudan are returned home safely.

    ”The first batch of 13 buses conveying six hundred and thirty seven (637) evacuees had arrived the identified safe borders at Aswan, Egypt.

    ”The evacuees are undergoing necessary documentation and clearance before admission into the Egyptian territory for their eventual evacuation to Nigeria in the coming hours by the Nigerian Air Force and Air Peace airline, who have been on standby for the operations.

    ”However, the movement of the second batch of 29 buses will commence on April 29 and the evacuees are advised to be at the designated locations with only one luggage.”

    It advised Nigerian students awaiting evacuation from Khartoum to cooperate with embassy officials for proper documentation while embarking on the buses to the designated  locations.

    ”This will go a long way in speeding up the process and avoiding unnecessary delays with documentation and clearance upon arrival at the Aswan, Egypy.”

    The government expressed commitment towards successful evacuation of all Nigerians stranded in Sudan before the expiration of the extended 72 hours ceasefire agreement.

    ”We want to use this opportunity to extend our appreciation to friendly countries who have in one way or the other assisted in bringing succour to Nigerians fleeing the war in Sudan.

    ”Particularly, Nigeria acknowledges the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for graciously assisting with the evacuation of eight Nigerians from Sudan to safety in its territory, from where they would be airlifted back to Nigeria,” the statement added.

  • Sudan: Air Peace, NAF begin evacuation of stranded Nigerians

    Sudan: Air Peace, NAF begin evacuation of stranded Nigerians

    The Federal Government on Friday said the Nigeria Airforce (NAF C-130H) plane and Airpeace plane have been cleared to fly Egyptian airspace for the evacuation of Nigerians stranded in Sudan.

    This followed the outbreak of war between the Sudanese armed forces and para-military Rapid Support Forces.

    The government confirmed this in a joint press statement issued to newsmen by the Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Janet Olisa, and that of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Sani Gwarzo in Abuja.

    ”The NAF C-130H is scheduled to leave Abuja on April 28, 2023, to  commence the airlift of the stranded students.

    ”Similarly, arrangements have been concluded to airlift all Nigerians that have already escaped on their own to safety in countries neighbouring Sudan.

    ”However, forty buses have been secured in Sudan to convey the students and other Nigerians from Khartoum to Aswan border in Egypt.

    ”Which is one of the identified safe reception borders, as at time of this statement, first batch of buses had already departed Khartoum,” the statement said.

    The federal government however said the initial hitches during transportation of stranded Nigerian students from Khartoum where bus drivers stopped and dropped the students in the desert over non-payment transport fees have been resolved.

    ”Some Nigerian students who found their way to the Ethiopian border were allowed entry into Ethiopia, following the interventions of some Nigerian leaders.

    ”The students are in safe condition. Similarly, another group of Nigerians assisted by government of United Arab Emirate have arrived Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and arrangement are been made to return them back home,” it assured.

    The government said it has already convened a Situation Room to monitor the evacuation exercise.

    It stated that the situation room is chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.

  • Sudan crisis: Over 7,000 nationals including Nigerians stranded at Egyptian border

    Sudan crisis: Over 7,000 nationals including Nigerians stranded at Egyptian border

    The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) said over 7,000 nationals, including Nigerians, were not allowed to cross the border into Egypt since their arrival on Thursday evening from war-torn Sudan.

    Chairman, NiDCOM, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, made the disclosure in a statement issued by Mr. Gabriel Odu, Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, NiDCOM on Friday in Abuja.

    Dabiri-Erewa called on those concerned with passages and movement of persons and services along the borders of Sudan to create a humane condition for them to have access to their various destinations.

    The chairman also said the Nigerian mission in Egypt had been working on the issue, as the Egyptian authorities were insisting on visas by Africans to transit to their countries.

    She appealed to the Egyptian authorities to kindly allow the travellers to transit to their final destinations in various countries in Africa.

    The crisis reportedly started on April 15 between the Sudanese army and paramilitary RSF, both headed by army generals.

  • Sudan: First set of Nigeria evacuees to arrive today

    Sudan: First set of Nigeria evacuees to arrive today

    The first batch of stranded Nigerians in Sudan have been evacuated by the Federal Government and are expected to arrive in Abuja today.

    This is according to a statement issued by Mr. Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Head of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) on Thursday.

    The information was given at a State House briefing by Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman, NiDCOM.

    Dabiri-Erewa said a total of 13 out of the 40 buses hired to transport Nigerians from Sudan already left since Wednesday and moved by road to the border town of Aswan in Egypt.

    Members of staff of the embassy in Egypt and the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency(NEMA), Mr Mustapha Habeeb-Muhammed received the evacuees.

    She said 10 of those buses transported Nigerians from Universities in Khartoum while the remaining three buses were dispatched to El- Razi University to convey them to the town in Egypt.

    On allegations of segregation and discrimination in the evacuation process, she explained that children and women were given priority as they were profiled for administrative purposes.

    The NiDCOM boss said a Boeing 777 from Airpeace would depart Lagos by evening of Thursday and would transport the first batch home on Friday.

    She also assured all Nigerians that all those who registered to be evacuated home would be facilitated irrespective of status, gender, and state.

    Dabiri-Erewa clarified that besides the huge population of Nigeria students in Sudan, there were millions of other Nigerians in the country doing their legitimate business and residing there peacefully.

    She allayed the fears of being attacked by the warlords, saying the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, already secured the understanding of the two warlords before the transportation of Nigerians by road.

  • UK: Sudan evacuation ‘potentially impossible’ once ceasefire ends

    UK: Sudan evacuation ‘potentially impossible’ once ceasefire ends

    British evacuation efforts in Sudan will be “potentially impossible” once a ceasefire ends, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said.

    Cleverly said there is no guarantee of further evacuation flights once an agreed halt in fighting expires on Thursday night.

    It comes as the government faces domestic and international criticism over its response.

    The British evacuation mission from the African country has seen 536 people taken to safety on six flights so far, according to the latest official figures.

    “We cannot predict exactly what will happen when that ceasefire ends but what we do know is it will be much, much harder, potentially impossible,” he said.

    “So what we’re saying to British nationals is if you’re hesitant, if you’re weighing up your options, our strong, strong advice is to go through Wadi Saeedna whilst the ceasefire is up and running.

    “There are planes, there is capacity, we will lift you out. I’m not able to make those same assurances once a ceasefire has ended.”

    More than 2,000 British nationals in Sudan have registered with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) under evacuation plans, but thousands more could be in the war-torn nation.

    “There are concerns the evacuation efforts have seen families split up or some members left behind.’’

  • Sudanese bloodbath: Nigerian students who could not join evacuation team attacked

    Sudanese bloodbath: Nigerian students who could not join evacuation team attacked

    Armed thugs attacked a group of Nigerian students returning to their hostel on the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan as there was no space in the hired buses by the Federal Government.

    Idris Bello, a survivor of the attack, narrated their ordeal over the phone that the incident occurred near Napasha Street at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

    According to him, five of the students were unharmed, but Umar Hudu, a 21-year-old Computer Science student, was severely injured.

    “We normally converge from the morning till evening at the International University of Africa for evacuation.

    Some of us who are not lucky to be evacuated today, returned to their hostels to sleep, before returning to the point the following morning.

    “On our way back home, a group of armed thugs charged at us, attacking us with dangerous weapons.

    “Five of us escaped unhurt but one of us Hudu Umar was severely wounded. He bled profusely as there was no hospital to take him to.

    “I used my little knowledge as a medical student to attend to him, and control the bleeding,” he said.

    Nigeria on Wednesday commenced the evacuation of stranded Nigerians in Sudan by road to Cairo.

    Source: Daily Nigerian

  • JUST IN: Nigerian students from Sudan reportedly stranded in Sahara desert [VIDEO]

    JUST IN: Nigerian students from Sudan reportedly stranded in Sahara desert [VIDEO]

    Nigerian students being evacuated from war-torn Sudan are stranded in the Sahara desert, according to a lady seen in a video trending on social media.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the video and the claim of the lady in the video are yet to be confirmed to be true.

    However, the lady claimed the buses evacuating Nigerians were stopped in the middle of the Sahara, as the drivers refused to continue the journey because ‘they were not paid’.

    Watch video below:

    Recall that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama on Wednesday confirmed the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved $1.2 million for the immediate evacuation of Nigerians stranded in the war-torn country.

    According to Onyeama, the $1.2 million was for hiring of luxury buses that will transport the stranded Nigerians from Khartoum, the Sudanese capital to Egypt, from where they will be airlifted to Nigeria.

    Update shortly…

  • No Nigerian life lost in Sudan – Minister

    No Nigerian life lost in Sudan – Minister

    The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada, disclosed that no Nigerian life had been lost in Sudan since the conflict broke out on April 15.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Dada made this known while addressing State House correspondents on Wednesday in Abuja.

    “The evacuation is being done in batches to ensure the safety of all Nigerians. But the good news is that no Nigerian life has been lost so far.

    ”I think it’s important to stress that all Nigerians are very safe. And we’re very confident and hopeful that we shall not lose any Nigerian life Insha Allah in this exercise. All is well and we’re good to go,” Dada said.

    The Minister added that the government has also arranged for security support and transportation for the Nigerians to the Egyptian border.

    He said the government was making every effort to evacuate as many Nigerians as possible during the 72-hour window provided by the Sudanese government.

    On whether all Nigerians will be evacuated before the 72 hour window, Dada said: “We have no problem about the 72 hour window because we’ve talked to all the authorities concerned and we’re on the same page.

    ”But talking about the window, we are making every effort to ensure that we make use of this window to evaluate as many Nigerians as we possibly can.”

    He also disclosed that some Nigerians had already been evacuated by ship by the government of Saudi Arabia.

    “Let me also add that some Nigerians have actually been evacuated by ship, I guess from Port Sudan, by the government of Saudi Arabia.

    ”Don’t forget, this is a joint effort. We have friendly nations that are ready to assist, you know, so that we are having to record that the Saudi authorities have been able to pick up some Nigerians, they’re transporting them by ship, I guess to Saudi Arabia, to Jeddah in particular.

    “From there, of course, again, we will link up and find a way of bringing them back from Jeddah those that succeed in going to Jeddah,” he said.

    Also addressing State House correspondents was the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, who confirmed the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved $1.2 million for the immediate evacuation of Nigerians stranded in war-torn Sudan.

    According to Onyeama, the amount will be spent on the hiring of luxury buses that will transport the stranded Nigerians from Khartoum, the Sudanese capital to Egypt, from where they will be airlifted to Nigeria.

    He said: “Just to provide an update on what is happening with regards to the evacuation of Nigerians in Sudan.

    ”You recall that the main challenge we had was first of all securing the authorization of the Sudanese Government and then security support for the convoy.

    “This is because it has been decided that we will transport or convey Nigerians to the Egyptian border, Aswan.

    ”We are liaising with our embassy in Egypt as well; so we have been able to overcome these challenges and we have started the process which we are very happy about.

    “$1.2 million dollars is what we’re being charged for all the 40 buses.  We have huge transporter luxury buses made available to us to transport our citizens to the Egyptian border.

    ”Of course you know, because of the risks involved and so many other things, a lot of people are going to also take advantage.

    ”We saw that the French convoy was attacked and so forth. It was difficult procuring these buses. But we had to do it because you know Nigerian lives matter to us.”

    On the outcome of Wednesday’s FEC meeting, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammed Abubakar, revealed that the Council approved N6 billion for the construction of new corporate headquarters for the ministry.

    According to him, the proposed headquarters will be a 10-storey building and will be named,  Agriculture House.

    ”The memo we presented was for the construction of our corporate headquarters here in Abuja. Since the relocation of the ministry to Abuja over 30 years ago, we’ve not had a corporate headquarters.

    ”We are currently using an office of the Federal capital Territory Administration which is just About three floors and cannot accommodate the entire ministry. We have about four departments which are outside the main ministry.

    “So, the Federal Capital Territory Administration has allocated a plot to us in the cadastral zone, totalling about 1.84 hectares at a very strategic place for the construction of a 10-storey building which we will call Agriculture House,” he said

    He said they had purchased a building in Abuja some years back but it later turned out not to be adequate for the services required thus, it would be sold and the proceeds would be added to a budgetary provisions (2022 and 2023) of the sum of N6 billion to commence the project.

    According to the minister, the ministry will source for more funds through intervention from the presidency and other sources, to complete the project.

    On the rising cost of rice, Abubakar disclosed that efforts had been intensified by government to ensure availability of the commodity with a view to bringing down its price since Nigeria was the number one producer of rice in Africa.

    He said: “There are 10 rice mills that are being constructed under a Public Private Partnership arrangement and the President has given us intervention to complete those mills.

    ”We will commission some of them before the end of this administration,” he said.

  • BREAKING: Nigerian students in war-torn Sudan head to Egypt [VIDEO]

    BREAKING: Nigerian students in war-torn Sudan head to Egypt [VIDEO]

    Nigerian students in war-torn Sudan are currently on their way to Egypt from where they will be airlifted to Nigeria.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Nigerian students, stranded in Sudan as a result of conflict by rival groups, would be airlifted from Egypt through Cairo.

    Buses hired by the federal government had arrived at the meeting point of International University of Africa, Khartoum for the evacuation.

    A set of five 200-seater buses drove into the venue Tuesday at exactly 7:30 pm local time (5:30 pm – Nigerian time) with two Hilux trucks of security personnel and a small bus of embassy officials.

    A student leader confirmed the development,”the officials have started clearance and verification of students at the venue and some students are ready to board.

    “We are discussing giving out 60 per cent of the first available seats to the female students and children while the male students take up the remaining 40 per cent.

    “We are told that more buses are coming and the officials also brought some snacks and water too. On this note, we wish to sincerely thank them for this gesture and their efforts toward ensuring that we returned home safe,” the student stated.

    Speaking before the arrival of the buses, an evacuation committee member said, it’s risky to transport huge number of students from one point to another in present day Sudan without the assistance and cooperation of both warring troops.

    “There are basically two reasons for the delay of the buses to the venue. One, we are yet to get clearance from both authorities as it is risky to move the students without such clearance and then the mode of payment to the bus company took a while to clear.

    “But I assure you, the evacuation of the students will begin in a short while as the payment has cleared and we have secured clearance from both warring generals.

    “The NEMA DG is already in Cairo and some staffs are at the Egyptian border to help ease their entry as we speak. Also, more committee members and officials are airborne to Egypt all in an effort to ensure the safe return of all Nigerians in Sudan,” the committee member explained.

    Meanwhile, Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has said the government is anxiously looking forward to receiving the students safely in the country.

    https://twitter.com/abikedabiri/status/1651148213926211585?s=19