A nursing mother and 154 out of 230 Nigerian football fans
stranded in Russia after the 2018 FIFA World Cup arrived the country on Friday
night.
The stranded football fans including a nursing mother in her
mid- thirties came through Ethiopian Airline flight number ET- ALP that arrived
Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport Abuja at about 9 . 12 pm on July 20 .
The Minister of Foreign Affairs , Mr Geoffrey Onyeama , who
was at the airport to monitor their arrival , lauded President Muhammadu Buhari
’s effort to ensure their safe return.
He said that Mr President had directed that Nigerians , who
were stranded in Russia after the 2018 World Cup tournament, should be
evacuated immediately .
According to him, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been
monitoring the process of the evacuation , which is under the coordination of
the Mission of Nigeria in Moscow .
He said that 155 stranded Nigerians had been cleared to
board an Ethiopian Airline flight to Abuja .
“The aircraft departed Domodedovo Airport in Moscow with the
stranded Nigerians in the afternoon and arrived in Abuja evening.
Onyeama said he had been working very closely with the
Minister of State for Aviation following President Buhari ’ s directive on the
exercise .
He recalled that some Nigerian football fans who were
stranded had besieged the Embassy of Nigeria in Moscow on July 12 .
“They were among the fans who travelled to the Russian
Federation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Tournament and were stranded after the
events due to lack of funds for their upkeep . ”
The minister explained that there was also an allegation
that some airline travel agents cancelled return tickets of their customers
without informing them.
He said that Mr President, however gave the directive that they should be evacuated with
immediate effect at the expense of the government.
Very good!
Now, in the spirit of aluta continua, that plane must fly to Libya and do the needful.
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