Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently dismissed allegations that some stranded citizens of Igbo extraction were left behind during the evacuation in Sudan.
Development Diaries reports that the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) also dismissed the allegations.
An unidentified man in a video circulating on social media said Nigerians of Igbo extraction had been ordered to disembark from a bus moving other nationals out of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
‘I am calling on the Igbos. We are at the University of Khartoum in Sudan. They said they are doing an evacuation project in which Nigerians will be evacuated out of Sudan’, he claimed.
‘They came and carried some people and then abandoned us Igbos. We boarded the bus that left two days ago but were asked to get off the bus. Everything is now politics’.
But spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Francisca Omayuli, dismissed his claims.
‘More buses were made available to accommodate every Nigerian national in Sudan who indicated interest to be evacuated’, the statement read.
‘It is, therefore, surprising that such a misleading allegation could be levelled against officials of the embassy who had worked tirelessly on the evacuation exercise’.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja ________________________________
PRESS RELEASE pic.twitter.com/XmZ9lG3VST— Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria 🇳🇬 (@NigeriaMFA) May 2, 2023
While it can be understood that some persons are deliberately out to be mischief makers and propagandists, it also behooves the agencies and ministries of government not to allow questionable information to be circulated before making moves to debunk them.
Also, it is not enough to dismiss claims without proper explanations as there is already a general sense of societal distrust. Government agencies need to show that they are competent and have the capacity to do their jobs.
They also need to show that they have a set of values that demonstrates integrity, openness, and fairness; telling the truth and protecting citizens’ rights and well-being.
Development Diaries calls on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NiDCOM to demonstrate openness and trustworthiness in the evacuation process and to ensure that all Nigerians are brought home safely.
376 Nigerians return
Meanwhile, the first batch of stranded Nigerians in Sudan arrived in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, on Wednesday, 03 May.
The 376 Nigerians landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at about 11:30 pm.
Photo source: Abike Dabiri-Erewa
