Nigerian Passports
NIGERIANS on short-trip to the United States of America have lamented profusely over their plights on account of the border closure in place without putting into consideration short-time tourists who have no relatives but camped in hotels for their tasks.
In a virtual interview with scores of travelers in the US, they frowned at the attitudes of Nigerian Embassy stating that all their efforts to get evacuated proved abortive and they complained bitterly that most of them have been ejected from their hotels due to inability to pay bills which they never budgeted for in the trip.
“We have been on this for over three weeks. We engaged Nigeria House in New York and Atlanta, yet, no meaningful development from the efforts. All requirements were submitted to the Embassy but nothing seems to be happening on that. Meanwhile, governments of other countries have been coming over to evacuate their citizens without any difficulty.
“As I speak with you, some of us have been ejected from hotels, others are broke, starved and excruciatingly managing to survive, hoping to get attention as we are not sure of what next to do. The cost of staying back in the US after their tasks without any budget for such extension causes extreme hardship and may even cause brain damage if not rescued soonest.
“When Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman of Nigerians-in-Diaspora Commission (NiDCoMM) was handling it, she insisted we should go and run corona virus test. Many of us did and presented our results. After waiting without any communication, last week, we sent a mail to the NiDCoMM that we are waiting to know when to be lifted but informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is now handling it. Suddenly, the Ministry of foreign affairs shifted it to the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation”, one of the stranded tourists lamented.
They said that most of them have their return-ticket to go back as usual if not for close of border in place and therefore appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to come to their rescue without further delay, adding that the attention they receive from home government makes them look as non-citizens of Nigeria.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama had earlier directed citizens abroad to engage with Embassies and High Commissions in their various countries assuring they will communicate through them the resolutions of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19.