Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has opened up on the reason the Federal Government cannot evacuate Nigerians in Iran amidst the ongoing hostilities with the United States and its ally, Israel.
Speaking to Vanguard, the Director of Media and Public Relations of NiDCOM, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, stated that the government has yet to receive any distress call from Nigerians residing in Iran.
He stated that though there might be Nigerians in Iran, none has officially reached out to the commission for assistance.
“I’m not saying there are no Nigerians there, I’m only saying nobody has sent any distress call,” he clarified.
He explained that flight cancellations to the region are due to ongoing hostilities, stressing that no airline will operate in an active war zone.
“You cannot fly where bombs are going up and down. No airline will fly,” he said, adding that the situation affects all nationals, not just Nigerians.
“There may be ceasefire for two or three days to allow people who are stranded at the airport to be evacuated. That has not been done,” he noted.
Asked to provide an estimate of the number of Nigerians currently affected, Balogun said NiDCOM doesn’t have such data and advised that inquiries be directed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We don’t have embassies there. The only person controlling embassies is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. They will be able to tell you,” he said.
On whether NiDCOM is collaborating with airlines or foreign authorities to ensure Nigerians are not left stranded, the spokesperson maintained that such collaboration is not feasible under the current circumstances.
“There is suspension of (flights) by all airlines. We cannot collaborate with anybody,” he said, noting that Nigeria currently has no national carrier operating international routes.
“Which Nigerian airline? We don’t have one now,” he added.
Balogun explained that Nigerians travelling to Iran typically do so as private individuals, often connecting through countries such as United Arab Emirates or Greece.
Speaking on the possibility of activating a full evacuation plan, Balogun said certain conditions must be met before the Federal Government could intervene.
Balogun, who stressed that affected Nigerians must formally request assistance and be willing to return home, said: “You cannot force them; people went there voluntarily. In Sudan and Ukraine, some initially said they were not leaving. So people must seek for help and say, ‘our lives are in danger, can you evacuate us?”
He explained that once such a request was made and conditions permit, the Federal Government could arrange emergency measures, including chartering aircraft and setting up a rescue committee.
“They must be Nigerians and be ready to come back home,” he stated
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