Reps demand immediate evacuation of Nigerians in Ukraine

The House of Representatives has demanded an immediate evacuation of Nigerians in Ukraine, offering to shoulder the responsibility.

This is as a result of the ongoing row between Russia and Ukraine.

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At plenary on Thursday, the lower chamber of the National Assembly mandated the leader of the House, Alhassan Ado Doguwa (APC, Kano), the Chairman, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Buba Yakub (APC, Adamawa) to liaise with the ministry of foreign affairs on the issue.

This followed the adoption of a motion moved by Ahmed Munir (APC, Kaduna) at the plenary on Thursday.

Presenting the motion, the lawmaker said, there is need for Nigeria to evacuate its citizens from the country.

Munir said the lives of Nigerians are at risk as the war might escalate in the coming days, putting Nigerians there in a more precarious situation.

He said: “We have a significant number of undergraduate and graduate students currently studying in Ukraine of which a portion are under government scholarships.

“This is in addition to a number of Nigerian diplomats and their families in the Kiev embassy and Nigerian expatriates across Ukraine.

“If a strategic plan is not put in place to secure and provide safe passage for our citizens, they may be trapped or worse, harmed”.

Responding, the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, directed that the House Leader and the Chairman, House Committee on Foreign Affairs to be ready for a possible trip to Ukraine.

The Speaker said the House will make an arrangement with Air Peace for possible evacuation of Nigerians particularly students from Ukraine.

The House therefore mandated its Committees on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of foreign Affairs to ascertain the exact figures of Nigerians affected by the conflict and fashion out ways of bringing them out of the situation.