FG, IOM evacuate 6,000 Nigerians from Libya

The Minister of  Foreign Affairs, Mr Olugbenga Ashiru, on Wednesday said that the Federal Government and the International Organisation for Immigration (IOM)  evacuated 6,000 Nigerians from Libya at the initial stage of  the conflict in that country.

The News Agency of  Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the House of  Representatives, through a resolution, invited the minister to appear before its committee for a briefing on  measures taken by the federal government to secure the lives of  Nigerians in Libya.

Ashiru, who briefed  the House of  Representatives  Committee on Foreign Affairs, said the federal government evacuated 5,000 Nigerians while the IOM  brought out another 1,000.

The minister said  the presence of  Nigerians in Libya at the time of the conflict was a source of concern to
the federal government.

He noted that there were no fewer than 25,000 Nigerians living in Libya, saying this made  it a daunting task to repatriate them even under normal circumstances.

Ashiru, who  recalled how the government evacuated those Nigerians who were willing to leave the country at the beginning of the conflict, said:

 ``While government can provide aircraft to evacuate those willing to leave, it cannot coerce or force those not
willing to be evacuated.

``In spite of the aircraft dispatched to evacuate them to Nigeria, some of our nationals,  in deference to their human rights and rights to decision, made the choice to remain in that country. ’’

The  minister also said  government considered  many factors before taking the position to
recognise the National Transitional Council (NTC) in Libya.

``The decision taken by the government on Libya was therefore not hasty as imagined in some quarters. Our decision was also informed by humanitarian considerations.

``We hoped that the end of the former regime will usher in a new era of calm and tranquility. 

``We engaged with both the AU and the UN and discussed bilaterally and multilaterally with all important actors in the conflict,'' he said. 

He explained that Nigeria, as a sovereign nation, had an antecedent of taking independent positions without necessarily consulting with the AU.

Ashiru also  called for increased funding for the ministry to effectively execute 21st Century diplomacy and enable it to adequately respond to challenges like the crisis in Libya.

Earlier, the Chairman of the committee, Rep. Nnenna Ukeje (PDP-Abia), said the lawmakers were  mandated by the House to ascertain the condition of  Nigerians in Libya.