The House of Representatives has invited the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, the chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to appear before it to give an account of the evacuation status of Nigerians in Sudan.
The speaker of the House of Reps, Femi Gbajabiamila, said this at the resumed plenary in Abuja on Tuesday on the crisis and evacuation of Nigerians from Sudan.
Mr Gbajabiamila said the recent crisis in Sudan had entrapped many Nigerians resident in that country.
He said efforts were underway to ensure that Nigerian citizens in the Republic of Sudan, such as students, business people and other vocations, were evacuated quickly and safely.
He said the House was aware of ongoing difficulties with the evacuation efforts and the federal government’s response to the developments in the Republic of Sudan.
“While our priority is to ensure the welfare and well-being of our fellow citizens caught in this war, we must further revisit the statutory and other frameworks that have left us seemingly unprepared to respond promptly and effectively.”
He said the conflict in Sudan reminded the House of the fragility of nations, adding that in pursuing the country’s political objectives, “we must never lose sight of the fundamental truth.”
This, according to him, is that, in war, everybody loses; in peace, everybody can win. He added that all personal, partisan and sectional interests must always succumb to the overarching and overriding interest of ensuring the unity and stability of Nigeria.
”If we fail in this regard, nothing else will matter, and none of us will be absolved in the judgement of history.”
(NAN)
