NIGERIA’S Ambassador to Romania Safiya Ahmad Nuhu on Wednesday said the country’s missions in Europe do not have the exact number of Nigerians in European countries.
Nuhu said this while speaking on Arise Television.
The ambassador was commenting on efforts to evacuate Nigerians affected by the crisis in Ukraine.
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Asked the number of Nigerians in Ukraine, she said there was no specific number, noting that the embassy has been working with projections.
“There are projections and projected figures; it has not been possible for all the missions in Europe to have all the specific areas of documentation for all our citizens. These are challenges we have to work with, but this situation will make us have a better figure,” Nuhu said.
She added that plans are underway to get the exact number of Nigerians in different countries.
Speaking further on the evacuation, the ambassador said, “The Federal Government has chattered the flights that will come and do the evacuation.
“Nigerians were coming in groups with some of their colleagues and friends in the universities from maybe other African countries. The instruction was that if they come, we offer consular service because here in Romania, there are few African missions, so we got them all together.
“The instruction was clear – to help them out and all the resources were made available for us to be able to do all that.”
The ambassador explained that reports of discrimination against Africans were coming from the Ukrainian end of the border.
“Rumours are circulating, we took an interest in knowing, in getting feedback from those that are coming towards the Romanian border. Most of the issues and discriminations and most of the difficulties are before they cross over to the Romania border.”
According to the diplomat, the Romanian authorities have been very supportive and helpful.
Nuhu said, “The Romanian authorities have been writing to us on a daily basis, asking for our feedback and what they can do to improve procedures or assist the mission.
“For example, knowing that the Nigerian mission has a lot of people coming in, we got a specific communication asking us what assistance that can help.”
A reporter with the ICIR
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