Coronavirus: FG says it will evacuate Nigerians in China when need arises

Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunibe Mamora, has said if the need arises to evacuate Nigerians living in Wuhan, China, the federal government will not hesitate.

Last month, Information and Culture Minister, Lai Mohammed, told the world that Nigerians in Wuhan, epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, haven’t expressed a desire to return home.

Mohammed said, “Even if we have Nigerians who are there, unless they indicate interest that they want to come home, we can’t force them."

“I know we have Nigerians in Wuhan; our Embassy in China has confirmed that we have about 16 Nigerians in Wuhan and they are in touch with them. They have, however, not indicated their interest to come home. They will, however, contact our embassy if they like to come home,” he added.

Contrary to Mohammed's claim, Nigerians living in Wuhan appealed to the federal government to evacuate them from the country.

Addressing the evacuation quest, Mamora said it is not a time for fear or stigmatization but for science.

“We are in touch with our ambassador in China and the Chinese ambassador to Nigeria is also in touch with the ministry,” Mamora was quoted as saying by The Nation.

He continued, “We are getting information on the condition of Nigerians in Wuhan and we are monitoring the health of our citizens, if and when the need arises to evacuate them, we will do so but we don’t want a situation where we create panic. This is not time for fear, this is not time for stigmatization. It is time for science.

“The Chinese government is testing everyone that is trying to leave China to ensure that they don’t go and spread the virus to anyone.”

The first case of coronavirus, which is believed to have originated from bats, was recorded in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019.

As of Tuesday, February 18, 2020, the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in China stands at 1,868.

The Chinese government, according to Aljazeera, also reported an additional 1,886 new infections across the country, but mostly from Hubei, bringing the total to at least 72,436.