The federal government evacuated 804 Nigerians yesterday as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has wreaked havoc.
This came on the same day that a group of 165 Nobel Laureates, including Wole Soyinka of Nigeria, openly condemned Vladimir Putin’s Russian Federation for its “unprovoked military aggression against Ukraine.”
The evacuees arrived in Abuja on three flights, the first of which arrived at 7:10 a.m. via Max Air at the private jet terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
At 6:55 p.m., a second group of 180 Nigerians, including four children, boarded Air Peace from Poland.
On board Air Peace, the third batch arrived from Hungary around midnight.
The majority of the evacuees were students who fled Ukraine to Romania, Hungary, and Poland after Russia invaded the Eastern European country.
After initial reports that they and other Africans were being mistreated and prevented from leaving Ukraine through the Polish border, the arrival of the Nigerians is a welcome relief.
President Muhammadu Buhari, who condemned the heinous act, said about 4,000 Nigerians, mostly students, were in Ukraine.
According to him, one group was repeatedly denied entry to Poland, so they returned to Ukraine and headed for Hungary instead.
“All who flee a conflict situation have the same right to safe passage under the UN Convention, and the color of their passport or their skin should make no difference,” President Buhari said in a tweet.
Some of the evacuees who spoke to journalists upon their arrival yesterday thanked the federal government for its efforts in ensuring their safety, but detailed the difficulties they faced in leaving Ukraine.
Wegwu Kella, a female Nigerian from Rivers State and a student, described her return to Nigeria as a bittersweet experience.
“I feel Ukraine has been home, and things have been working out well since my arrival there,” she said, “but I feel safe and am returning to Nigeria to see loved ones.” When the bombings began, I was actually in another city. I had left the capital city because the news of the impending attack was all over social media. I was cold when I left for the border, and I had to walk for six hours straight to get to the gate, where they were only allowing Ukrainians to pass, so I had to leave and take a bus to another border point. It took me another 24 hours to get there, but this time on a bus.
“I don’t know how I got here because I was going to miss the flight; I went to the embassy yesterday to register, and when I arrived at the airport, the plane was full.” I waited to see if any opportunities arose, and today I was able to make the flight because I was first in line.”
Another student evacuee, Eniola Badejo, praised the government’s efforts but demanded more information and better coordination as the exercise progressed.
“We thank our government because it has been extremely exhausting; we have gone through a lot of stress; many of us have traveled the entire distance and have barely slept,” she said. I’m just glad to be reunited with my family.”
Nigeria’s Ambassador to Poland, Christian Ugwu, praised President Muhammadu Buhari for intervening quickly and releasing funds to help all Nigerians stranded in Ukraine return home.
Ugwu stated that the embassy in Poland was on top of the situation and that the first batch of people being evacuated had already been successfully coordinated.
The ambassador, on the other hand, urged all Nigerians who had arrived in Poland to prepare to be evacuated home rather than stay in Poland.
The March 3 flight was canceled due to a delay in gathering all of the intended evacuees from their respective hotels, according to Amb. Bolaji Akinremi, the leader of the evacuation exercise from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Akinremi explained that even though the crew members were ready, international law prohibited them from continuing the journey because they had exceeded their duty time.
164 Nobel Laureates, including Wole Soyinka, condemn the invasion.
A group of 165 Nobel laureates, including Wole Soyinka, denounced the Russian Federation, led by Putin, for its “unprovoked military aggression” against Ukraine yesterday.
This was stated in an open letter signed by all of the Nobel Laureates, who stated that there were other peaceful ways to resolve conflicts.
The invasion “will stain” the Russian state’s international reputation for decades, according to the scholars.
“In a move that recalls the infamous attacks of Nazi Germany on Poland in 1939 (using similar tricks of feigned provocation) and on the Soviet Union in 1941, the government of the Russian Federation, led by President Putin, has launched an unprovoked military aggression — nothing less than a war — against its neighbor, Ukraine,” according to a copy of the letter made available on Vox Ukraine.
“We are careful with our words here because we do not believe the Russian people are involved in this aggression.”
“We join in condemning these military actions, as well as President Putin’s fundamental denial of Ukraine’s legitimacy.”
“Disputes can always be resolved peacefully.” The Russian invasion is a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, which states that all members shall refrain from threatening or using force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state in their international relations.
“It disobeys the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which obligated Russia and others to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and existing borders.”
“The Russian invasion will tarnish Russia’s international reputation for decades to come.” It will obstruct its economy and cause hardships for its citizens. The sanctions imposed will limit the ability of its talented and hardworking citizens to travel freely around the world. Why are we erecting this barrier between Russia and the rest of the world now?
“Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers, Russian soldiers, and Ukrainian civilians have already died, including children. It’s heartbreaking and pointless. We have come together in this appeal to urge Russia’s government to end its invasion of Ukraine and withdraw its military forces.”
“We respect the calm and strength of the Ukrainian people,” the scholars said, reiterating their support for Ukraine. We are here to support you.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of all those who have died or been injured, both Ukrainians and Russians.” May peace reign in this part of our wonderful world.”
The largest nuclear power plant in Europe has been seized by Russian forces.
After a battle with Ukrainian troops that resulted in a fire and fears of a catastrophic accident, Russian forces took control of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant yesterday.
The fire had been extinguished and no radiation leak had been detected, according to the Ukrainian nuclear regulator, and site staff were still able to work at the Zaporizhzhia site.
“The Russian Federation’s military forces have taken control of the Zaporizhzhia NPP site. The fire was put out by Ukrainian State Emergency Service units, according to a statement from Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate.
Fighting had erupted earlier between Russian invasion forces advancing on Zaporizhzhia and Ukrainian defenders, resulting in a fire at the plant and widespread concern.
The power station, which is located on the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine, generates a fifth of Ukraine’s electricity.
Any fire at a nuclear power plant brings back memories of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, which killed hundreds of people and spread radioactive contamination across Europe.
One of the six reactors at Zaporizhzhia is producing power, one has been turned off, and four are being cooled to prevent overheating, according to the agency.
However, the regulator did not specify what each reactor’s status was prior to the fire.
Ukrainian personnel are conducting an on-site inspection.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine accused Moscow of resorting to “nuclear terror” by risking a repeat of the Chernobyl disaster and pleaded with world leaders to support Kyiv.
In a video message released by his office, he said, “No country other than Russia has ever fired on nuclear power plants.” This is the first time in our history; in humanity’s history. The terrorist state has now resorted to using nuclear weapons as a weapon of mass destruction.”
According to Zelensky, Russian troops fired on the nuclear facility on purpose.
“These are thermal imager-equipped tanks that know where they’re shooting,” Zelensky explained.
Since Russia’s military invaded Ukraine last week and began bombarding cities with shells and missiles, the country’s nuclear facilities have been a major source of concern.
Senator from the United States calls on Russians to assassinate Putin.
Senator Lindsey Graham of the United States has called for Putin’s assassination by “someone in Russia.”
During an appearance on Fox News’ Hannity show and a series of tweets on Thursday, the Republican Senator called for a Julius Caesar-style assassination of the Kremlin strongman, who is currently leading an invasion of Ukraine.
“Does Russia have a Brutus?” “Does the Russian military have a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg?” he tweeted, referring to the army officer who attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
“The only way this is going to end is for someone in Russia to kill this guy.” “You would be doing a great service to your country and the world,” he continued in his tweet.
Graham’s call for Putin’s assassination comes as the Russian leader continues to bomb cities in Ukraine without regard for civilians.
