The Nigerian Government revealed Nigerians agreed to return home from Tunisia, following the country’s president’s remarks on Feb. 21.
This was disclosed in a statement by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) on Monday
However, they noted that those who have agreed to return are few and the FG is working with the UN Migrant office to arrange tickets for them.
Return: NIDCOM stated that many others want to wait it out, praying it will soon pass, following the intervention of the AU and the African Group of Ambassadors, they added:
- “Here is an update on the situation in Tunisia, where blacks have been victims of racial attacks. Our ambassador is in consultation with the Nigerian community, on a decision on evacuation.
- “Those that have agreed to return to Nigeria are very few and the mission is working with the IOM to arrange tickets for them.
- “The many others want to wait it out, praying it will soon pass, following the intervention of the AU and the African Group of Ambassadors.
- “Though we don’t really have a large community of Nigerians in Tunisia as many of them are those rescued from the Mediterranean after a failed attempt to cross from Libya, the mission will update if they do request to return.”
FG also revealed Nigeria does not really have a large community of Nigerians in Tunisia as many of them are those rescued from the Mediterranean after a failed attempt to cross from Libya.
What you should know
The African Union cancelled a conference it planned to hold in Tunisia later this month over reported attacks on migrants in the North African country.
Nairametrics gathered that the cancellation came shortly after the union criticized the country’s government for inciting the attacks.
Violent crime: Hundreds of Sub-Saharan African nationals have fled Tunisia since President Kais Saied blamed migrants for a rise in violent crime. He ordered security forces to stop all illegal migration and expel all ‘undocumented migrants’ for rising crime and other social vices in the country. Nairametrics reported that Ivory Coast, Mali and Guinea began evacuating their citizens from Tunisia last week.
Meanwhile, human-rights groups have accused Saied of stoking xenophobia to deflect from a growing economic and political crisis. The African Union stated on Feb. 24 urging Tunisia to refrain from racialized hate speech that could bring people harm.
