By Uche Mbah
Since the Coronavirus started, the Nigerian Embassy has not put on any notice on their website-or anywhere else-to inform Nigerians in China about the disease, or to offer help. Furthermore, the embassy website still has Goodluck Jonathan as the president of Nigeria-an indication of when last the site was updated.
Many countries have been evacuating their citizens from Wunam and other Chinese cities in the wake of the Human Coronavirus epidemic. The United States have sent aircraft to evacuate their citizens. The United Kingdom, Japan and other countries are doing everything to evacuate their citizens, while Russia is tightening their land borders in addition to efforts to evacuate their citizens.
But there has been no information whatsoever from the Nigerian Embassy in Beijing. The Embassy has put up no notice about coronavirus disease.
China is the prime business destination of Nigerians, particularly those in the telecom and phone business. Most phone brands are Nigerian franchise of Chinese companies. The traffic volume between the two countries is rated high particularly in the wake of investment and construction activities by the Chinese government in partnership with Nigeria.
President Buhari has made several trips to China for loan purposes, and there was a time Nigeria muted the idea of Yuan denomination of the Naira instead of the dollar.
The site, Beijing.ngembassy.org, described Nigeria as the most populous country in Africa.
Nigerians in China who face the coronavirus threat, are therefore on their own, without National protection.
Chinese are expected to start returning to the Country after their New Year festival, though the federal government has instructed that they should wait before returning, or if they do, they should “self quarantine” for two weeks. Though the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, has assured of adequate provision for health security, the porous Northern Borders are a source of worry.
