The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Monday agreed to fund the feeding and accommodation of stranded Nigerians evacuated from abroad but being quarantined for 14 days in Lagos and Abuja.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, said at the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 briefing in Abuja that the fund to cover the cost of evacuees’ feeding and accommodation was over N1 billion and since funding was not available, it had to pass the cost onto the evacuees.
Some of the evacuees had protested the condition they were being subjected to at isolation centres, citing poor feeding and other ill treatments.
Onyeama stressed that several attempts made to proffer solution to the imbroglio failed until the Minister of Environment, Malam Mahmood Muhammed, came to the rescue.
The Minister said that the amount involved was over N1 billion and the duo of CBN and NNPC promised to rescue the situation.
Onyeama said: “Today, the GMD of NNPC said he met with the CBN Governor and they both promised to fund the feeding of evacuees.
“I thank the Minister of Environment for the suggestion and the solidarity who sold the idea to me to approach CBN and NNPC to support Nigerians in desperate need.”
