No smaller number than 544 Nigerians stranded in the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) successfully expatriated.
The evacuation was the last before the opening of the country’s air space on August 29.
The country’s air space closed in March 2020 as a result of the global lockdown bring about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Corroborating the evacuation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that the US evacuees, transported on Ethiopian airline, comprised: 87 males, 111 females and 10 infants.
According to the flight manifest, a total of 89 passengers were for Abuja and 119 for Lagos.
The latest evacuation, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, brings to 2,322 the number of Nigerians evacuated from USA following the global lockdown in March 2020 occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“From USA, 208 stranded Nigerians arrived Abuja and Lagos on August 9 and the last evacuation flight with Ethiopian Airlines ET 509 yesterday from Newark, New Jersey. The flight departed Thursday, August 20 by 21:51 hours and estimated to arrive Abuja by 12:41 hours and Lagos by 14:31 hours yesterday. The flight manifest included: 87 males, 111 females and 10 infants, with a total of 89 passengers for Abuja and 119 for Lagos. This last flight brought the total number of stranded Nigerians evacuated from the USA to 2, 322 returnees,” the ministry stated.
While the UK evacuation, which was the 8th and the last conveyed on Air Peace flight operated by Air Europa and scheduled to arrive the country on Saturday 21st August 2020.
Greater than 10,000 Nigerians evacuated back home since May 2020 under the emergency flight arrangements.
