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COVID-19: Nigerian govt says isolation centres not enough for nationals who want to return home

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Geoffrey Onyeama

The Federal Government of Nigeria has admitted that it does not have enough isolation centres in the country to accommodate nationals in diaspora who are willing to return home amid the spread of COVID-19.

This was revealed on Thursday by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, who also expressed worry that the planned evacuation of Nigerians from foreign countries will be staggered as the number of interested persons who want to return home are high.

Onyeama who was speaking during the Presidential TaskForce on COVID-19 briefing in Abuja, said that over 2,000 Nigerian nationals in the United States, United Kingdom, China, United Arab Emirates and other countries had registered with various Nigerian embassies abroad to return home.

He added that the federal government had concluded plans to bring back Nigerians who want to return home as the two airlines that would be responsible for bringing them home have been selected.

READ ALSO: COVID-19: Nigerian govt admits incapacity to cater for 2,000 nationals who want to return home

Onyeama said, “We have received all the number (of Nigerians who registered for the evacuation) from our various embassies all over the world. We have now selected two airlines that would be responsible for bringing them home.

“The numbers are high and the places where we can isolate them are not enough. So, we would have to do it in a staggered fashion and together with the National Emergency Management Agency and the Ministry of Health, we would come to an agreement to be bringing them back according to the number of beds that are available,” the minister added.

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