Ime Akpan
Nigerians, mostly students living in Ukraine, feel restless and unsettled as the Russian forces continue the invasion of Ukraine.
An estimated 4,000 Nigerians were studying in tertiary institutions across Ukraine as of 2020, according to data from the government – the highest number of African nationals there, along with Morocco.
A Nigerian student at the National Aerospace University in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Mr. Victor Anyikwa who spoke in an interview on TVC, said many Nigerians wanted to be evacuated as the Ukrainian authorities had imposed a 10pm to 6 am lockdown throughout the country.
“The tension here is much, very palpable. Many Nigerians want to be evacuated but there has been no word from either the Nigerian embassy in Kiev or the federal government,” he said.
However, he said he wouldn’t want to leave “but there are many Nigerians who want to leave.”
President of the Nigerian students union in Lviv in Western Ukraine, Anjola Ero-Phillips, told Al Jazeera that several calls to the Nigerian embassy in Kiev were with any response.
“There has been no embassy response. All they say is check the website and the last update on the website is January 26. Everybody is absolutely on their own,’’ he said.
CNN reported that some students had begun to make their way to the Poland with a view to getting a flight from there.
It also reported that while other governments were making plans to evacuate their citizens from Ukraine, Nigerian students said they had been essentially told: “You’re on your own.”
In a Save-Our-Soul message, the acting president of the National Association of Nigerian Students in Ukraine, Eunice Eleaka, pleaded with the federal government to do something about their situation.
In a letter to President Muhamadu Buhari entitled ‘Matter of urgency: Letter of request to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari’ the students said cities occupied by Nigerians were under attack.
“Greetings your Excellency. We are the executive body of National Association of Nigerian Students Ukraine (NANS-UKRAINE).
“We write to you with regards to the current Russia-Ukraine conflict which has finally risen to its maximum early this morning being February 24, 2022 as gunshots and explosives have raided the territories occupied by the Nigerian citizens.
“We plead with your Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, to please send for an immediate evacuation of the Nigerian students currently in Ukraine. We can only trust and wait on our great nation (Giant of Africa) in this perilous time.
“It would be of great honour, if our request is deliberately considered and met with urgency as it calls for. Forever this kind and fatherly gesture would be engraved in our hearts. Thank you so much in anticipation Mr. President.”
Ahead of Russia’s invasion on Thursday, more than a dozen European and Asian countries were urging their citizens to leave Ukraine.
The United States, Canada, Germany, Australia and other countries have evacuated members of their diplomatic staff and their families.
But even after the invasion, it was gathered that no African country had announced concrete plans for the evacuation of its citizens.
Morocco, as well as Egypt, which also has a high number of citizens studying in Ukraine, only urged them to ensure their personal safety.
However, earlier yesterday (Thursday), the federal government expressed shock over the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
The government also assured Nigerians living in Ukraine of their safety, stating that measures are underway to evacuate Nigerians living in the country.
In a statement by the spokesman for the ministry of foreign affairs, Mr. Francisca Omayuli the federal government said as soon as the airport is open it would assist Nigerians who are willing to leave to do so.
In a statement entitled: ‘Federal government reassures its commitment to the safety of Nigerians in Ukraine’ the government said: “The federal government of Nigeria has received with surprise, reports of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
“The ministry of foreign affairs has been reassured by the Nigerian Embassy in Ukraine of the safety of Nigerians in that country and measures being undertaken to keep them safe and facilitate the evacuation of those who wish to leave.
“The federal government wishes to assure the families with loved ones in Ukraine that as soon as the airports in the country are opened, it would assist in facilitating the evacuation of Nigerians who are willing to leave.”
Also, the minister of foreign affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, in an interview with NTA, said the Nigerian embassy in Kiev had been contacted to finalise the arrangements for those willing to return to the country.
“We are not going to take any chances and we’ve agreed that they should ask all Nigerians to stay in their residence. What we plan to do is that once the airports are opened, the embassy will assist those who are ready and willing to leave the country.
“There are five airports and we are now planning on how to get those ones to the airports nearest to where they are saying and assist them to leave the country.
“The advice that we were getting was that we should not panic, that Nigerians in Ukraine should not panic. The embassy was in touch with them, telling them to take reasonable precautions, and which has been ongoing for a while.
“Now, the question of course was whether the Russians would invade and the Russian government itself was saying that they would not invade; the Americans and the UK were saying the invasion was imminent.
“It was very difficult to take a definitive position with regards to advising everybody to leave. On the travel advisory that came out, the last time I spoke with the ambassador about two days ago. I said to him we have to err on the side of caution and that those who want leave should leave and this was issued.
“There were interviews with a number of Nigerian students who said they preferred to stay; that things will calm and they did not feel under any immediate threat.”
