The federal government has directed stranded Nigerians in Thailand to pay the sum of N297,600 ($765) for their quarantine, isolation, and accommodation centers or hotels before their departure and arrival in Nigeria. The federal government, through the Nigerian Embassy in Thailand stated this in a memo dated May 14, 2020, which was sent to the stranded Nigerians, warning that any prospective evacuee that refuses to pay would not be evacuated.
The memo, which was signed by the Head of Chancery, Nicholas Uhomoibhi, on behalf of the Ambassador, noted that the rates were negotiated in Nigeria. It stated: “I’m directed to bring to your attention that due to measures that are beyond the control of the COVID – 19, local organizing team in Nigeria, all Evacuees going to Nigeria henceforth are to now pay for their quarantine, isolation, and accommodation centre of hotels before departure and arrival in Nigeria.
“In this regard, all prospective evacuees are to note the negotiated rate below: Accommodation N15,000 × 16 days =240, 000; feeding N3,600 × 16days = N57, 600; Total, N18,600 × 16 =N297,600. Kindly be informed that these rates were negotiated in Nigeria and that the Embassy has been instructed not to airlift any evacuee who fails to pay above fee.” However an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the directive from the federal government is “true”.
In another development, the Canadian government refused to issue a landing permit to an Air Peace carrier to evacuate Nigerians stranded in Canada. Addressing the daily press conference of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 yesterday in Abuja, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, disclosed that the airline was denied landing rights owing to its non-possession of a license to operate commercial flights in that country.
Onyeama, however, said the Nigerian Ambassador to Canada was engaging the authorities to reverse the decision. He pointed out that the argument being put forward by the envoy was that the plane is not a regular commercial flight to Canada to take passengers but an emergency one.
The designated carrier, Air Peace, yesterday disclosed that the exercise did not go as planned due to “logistics issues as communicated to the airlines by the Nigerian High Commission in Canada.” The PTF, Ministry of Aviation and Foreign Affairs Ministry had explained circumstances under which airlines like British Airways, Emirates and Ethiopian Airlines came in to airlift the affected Nigerians from the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States of America (USA).
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has mandated its Committee on Aviation to urgently investigate the preference of foreign operators to the indigenous ones by the relevant authorities for the evacuation of about 6000 trapped Nigerians abroad. The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Mohammad Shamsudeen Bello (APC – Kano) and eight others.
