[dropcap]T[/dropcap]HE Nigerian government will begin evacuating Nigerians fleeing Ukraine starting on Wednesday
Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama says there are about 8,000 Nigerians in Ukraine 5,000 of whom are students. They are all seeking a way out Ukraine and away from Russia’s military operation there.
‘We had to sit with Mr President very quickly last week, we went with the chief of staff, saw him and he approved that we should go ahead with an airlift. We negotiated with Air Peace, we tentatively fixed it for Wednesday; the idea is for Romania to be the hub,’ Onyeama said.
The Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Tuesday saying some 130 Nigerians had arrived safely in Bucharest, Romania.
Another 74 Nigerians arrived in Budapest, Hungary, and hundreds more are expected in due course.
Other Nigerians have also found their way to Poland.
The Nigerian Foreign Ministry said all those who made it to the missions in the neighbouring countries were provided with accommodation and were being documented.
Hundreds of Nigerians, mostly students, are believed to have been residing in Ukraine. Many other Africans of different nationalities were also in the country.
