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Diasporia News of Monday, 18 May 2020

Source: www.mynigeria.com

Why we asked Evacees to pay 300k for accommodation, feeding- Onyeama

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama has explained why evacuees were asked to pay the sum of N297,600 for accommodation and feeding following their arrival in Nigeria.

Speaking at a briefing of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 on Monday, Onyeama said that funding dried up and they were in a situation where they either had to stop evacuating or transfer the cost to the evacuees.

Vowing to keep his promise in bringing Nigerians home, he continued to source for solutions until Minister for Environment, Muhammad Mahmood suggested a better decision to him.

"Muhammad Mahmood suggested that I try the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation or Central Bank of Nigeria to gain support in airlifting evacuees.

"The cost runs into a billion naira and I finally met with both of them. Thanks to God, the GMD said he would meet the CBN and fund the accommodation and feeding of evacuees so we can go forward in a better environment," the Minister said.

"I want to thank the honourable Minister of Environment, the Managing Director of the NNPC, the Governor of the CBN and President Buhari who allowed me support Nigerians in desperate situations around the world," he added.

Recall that Evacuees were asked to pay the sum of N297,600 for accommodation and feeding following their arrival in Nigeria.

This is according to a memo circulated to the evacuees from the Nigerian Embassy, asking them to pay for quarantine, isolation and accommodation as conditions for airlifting them to their home country.

The memo was sighted by MyNigeria.com and dated May 14th, 2020.