Atiku Reacts As Airline Offers To Evacuate Nigerians From Sudan For Free

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has commended Air Peace for volunteering to evacuate Nigerian citizens stranded in Sudan.

Naija News reported that the indigenous airline owned by Chief Allen Onyeama had offered to evacuate Nigerians stranded in Sudan free of charge.

In an interview with Arise News on Sunday night, Onyeama said the airline is willing to evacuate Nigerians stranded in Sudan if the federal government can get them to a safe and secure airport in any of the neighbouring countries bordering Sudan.

Reacting to the development in a lengthy post via his verified Twitter handle on Monday, Atiku applauded the gesture of the airline to evacuate stranded Nigerians in the war-torn country.

Atiku recalled that Air Peace came to the rescue of Nigerians in 2019, in the heat of the xenophobic attack in South Africa, stressing that Onyeama deserves special commendation for his uncommon act of patriotism and selfless service to the country.

The former Vice President asked the Federal Government to give the airline every assistance necessary to carry out the arduous task of evacuation.

Atiku also advised the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the National Emergency Management Agency, and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission to be more proactive in handling the affairs and security of our citizens in Diaspora.

He wrote: “The news of the crisis in Sudan is on the front burner on the global stage, with different countries evacuating their nationals from the war-torn country.

“It is, therefore, heartwarming to hear the news of @flyairpeace volunteering to evacuate the over 5,500 Nigerian citizens stranded in Sudan. This gesture is commendable, and I will ask the Federal Government to give the company every assistance necessary to carry out this arduous task.

“It was also the case in 2019, in the heat of the xenophobic attack in South Africa, that Air Peace came to the rescue of Nigerians. Thus, the Chairman of Air Peace, Mr Allen Onyeama, deserves special commendation for his uncommon act of patriotism and selfless service to our dear country.

“While I commend the Chairman and management of the Air Peace Group for always coming to the rescue of Nigerians in the time of emergency, I will advise our Foreign Affairs Ministry, the National Emergency Management Agency, and Nigerians in Diaspora Commission to be more proactive in handling the affairs and security of our citizens in Diaspora.”