Onyeama: Why foreigners are leaving Nigeria over COVID-19

Geoffrey Onyeama, minister of foreign affairs, says there is no hidden agenda behind some countries evacuating their citizens from Nigeria.

At least, 637 Europeans were evacuated from Nigeria and Benin Republic on Thursday.

The move had left many wondering if there is a cause for alarm.

During the press briefing of the presidential task force on COVID-19 in Abuja on Friday, a journalist had asked Onyeama if leaving the country was an indictment on Nigeria’s health system, to which the minister responded that it’s not necessarily so.

Onyeama said those who had left did so did so to enable them make use of a system that they are familiar with, should the need arise.

He added that the diplomatic staff of most of the countries are still in Nigeria, and that hey have no plans of leaving.

“It is basically a case where people are more familiar with the health system in their various countries and so prefer to go to the various countries so in the event that they might have to be confined, they would be in more familiar surroundings and they would also have access to medical practitioners and facilities that they are used to,” Onyeama said.

“So, that is really the reason. And you will find that a large number of those countries evacuating citizens, that their heads of mission and ambassadors and other staff are still here in Nigeria and there are no plans of leaving.”