COVID-19: Nigerians In India, Bangkok To Pay Mandatory N297, 600 Evacuation Fee.

Nigerians in India and Bangkok wishing to return to the country in the period of Covid-19 must cough out mandatory evacuation fee of N297, 600 or ambition denied.

This shows that the Nigerians in the two countries without the financial muscle and needed Federal Government financial support to return to home will have a re-think.

The expenses involved are accommodation for N15,000 x 16 days N240, 0000, feeding N3600 x 16 days N57, 600, totally N297, 600.

Two separate statements for the prospective evacuees from the High Commission of Nigeria in New Delhi, India dated May 15, 2020 and signed by A.I. Alatise for High Commissioner and Embassy of Nigeria with Ref. No: ENB/CC/50 vol.1 of May 14, 2020 and signed by Nicholas. P. Uhamoibhi, Head of Chancery for the Ambassador made the Nigerian government directive known on the issue.

A statement by the High Commission of Nigeria in New Delhi, India  titled “Re: Evacuation of Nigerian Nationals in the woke of CoronaVirus (vovid-19) pandemic reads,”I am directed to announce to the prospective evacuees that for reasons beyond it’s immediate control, the Federal Government will not be able to continue to bear responsibility for the quarantine/isolation/accommodation of the affected Nigerians on arrival in Nigeria.

“The government has therefore, directed that henceforth, the evacuees will now be responsible for their accommodation and feeding during the period of quarantine.

“Furthermore, evacuees are to pay for these at the time of paying for their tickets in order for the airtime admit them on the flight.

Embassy of Nigeria in Bangkok, Thailand  also made out a statement on the same directive.

However, clarification for authenticity of this directive with friends stranded in India had confirmed as true and indeed from the Nigerian High Commission in New Delhi.

Though some are even just today either receiving rumours of the message or receiving it via Watsapp from friends in Nigeria like me.

The confirmation has been heart wrenching to all. Aside the $1,300 Economy Class one-way ticket and $1,700 Business Class tickets they have already paid, this fresh payments has torn the hearts of the stranded Nigerians who 99 per cent are patients from various India hospitals with serious life-threatening and/or terminal illness.

Some 30 per cent have actually been discharged to just go home and await their deaths with prediction of from a week to 10 months to live. As such, some are even stretcher patients, who I wonder how they will be quarantined and managed when they return, because they are advanced cancer, liver, kidney, diabetes, brain surgery, limbs amputation, etc patients.

There are also a mass of pediatric and geriatric patients. Again, up to 80 per cent of them are actually accompanied by caregivers.

Further information also has it that there is a group of military officers who have completed course but are stranded in Mumbai with their families.

As it is, we have a mass of Nigerians stranded in New Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad hospitals and hotels strapped of cash to feed and accommodation by this announcement aside even the hanging uncertainty of the date the plane(s) will be available. One wonders if the FG cannot offset the cost of the quarantine from the pile of donations it is receiving?

Also how is quarantine necessary for a patient coming from a hospital, who will self-isolate at home or just proceed to another hospital for management?

Government should quickly reconsider its decision and think through this matter not only for India but certainly to all destinations where Nigerians are known to travel for health reasons, like Egypt also.

My source told me again, that they have been verbally informed that the plane will not carry caskets, incase anyone wants to repartriate their dead.

If government did not ask for this payment for earlier evacuees, then on that precedence, the India ones should be borne by FG. Hoping this desperate message reaches the right ears.

One of them said, “My brother. A lot of Nigerians willing to return home from India are stranded. They have been charged exorbitantly for the flight ticket a whopping Usd 1,300.

“After collecting their money they now turned back and requested them to pay an additional almost ₦300,000 for accommodation in Nigeria. It seems Abike Dabiri and her colleagues are trying to make brisk business.

“80% of. stranded Nigerians in India went on medical reasons, some have undergone brain surgery some are cancer patients who have few months to live yet others have other serious ailments and had to struggle to travel for lack of facilities.

“Even the President always run to the UK often to seek for medical attention. Most of those returnees barely paid for the ticket. They were not told before paying for the ticket that they need to pay for the hotel and feeding while in quarantine in Abuja. Attached herewith is the letter from Nigerian High Commission in India,” he said.