FG secures fresh deal to evacuate 3,184 Nigerians from Libya

macfranc007 December 31, 2017 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Nigerian newspapers 24/7 Akinyemi Akinrujomu

- NEMA signed the deal with the airline on behalf of the federal government

- The airline will use its big planes to evacuate Nigerians stranded in the north African country

- The federal government had been working with another local airline for the evacuations before the signing of the new contract

The Federal government has signed a contract agreement with a local airline to evacuate 3,184 of the 5,037 Nigerians expected to return from Libya.

Alhaji Ibrahim Dahiru, the airline’s Public Relations Manager, said in a statement in Kano on Sunday.

Dahiru said that the contract agreement was signed between the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the representative of Max Airline, Malam Shehu Wada, in Abuja.

He said: “With this development, Max Air is expected to operate six flights to bring in 3,184 Nigerians from Libya, using its large fleet of Boeing 747-400 series aircraft."

Dahiru said that recently, Niger Republic engaged the Airline to evacuate over 5, 000 Nigeriens which it did successfully.

“Max Air Ltd. has also been the leading Airline in Hajj and Umrah Operations in the last 11 years in Nigeria.

“The airline has also been involved in the evacuation of Nigerians from Libya and Egypt recently as well as the movement of many Nigerians, especially sports men and women and military personnel."

The airline has the manpower and equipment for the movement of large number of people from Nigeria to any part of the world through its chatter arrangement.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Government had earlier appointed the Med-View Airline, through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), to participate in the evacuation of 5,037 Nigerians from Libya.

The Airline’s Executive Director, Business Development and Commercial, Mr Isiaq Na’Allah, and Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, the spokesman of NEMA, South-West Zone, confirmed the development in Lagos on Saturday.

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NAN reports that the agreement was signed between the parties on Friday in Abuja. It is expected to facilitate the smooth repatriation of Nigerians from the volatile North African country.

The agreement was signed on behalf of the airline by Na’ Allah, while the Director-General of NEMA, Alhaji Mustapha Maihaja and Mrs Fatima Bukar, a Senior Legal Officer of NEMA, signed on behalf of the agency.

NAIJ.com had reported on Saturday, December 30 that the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the European Union (EU) evacuated additional 134 Nigerians from Libya.

Ibrahim Farinloye, spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), South-West Zone, confirmed the development on Saturday in Lagos.

Farinloye said the new batch of returnees arrived at the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on Friday at 10.20 p.m.

Mass deportation: Tales of woes from Libya - on NAIJ.com TV