By Akinwale Kasali
Amid the ongoing crisis between the United States of America/Israel and Iran, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM, has disclosed that there is no need for panic, as the Commission has not received any distress calls from Nigeria residing in Iran.
Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Director of Media and Public Relations, NiDCOM, debunked insinuations from some quarters who are of the opinion that Nigerians may be stranded following the sudden suspension of international flights into, and out of Iran.
Balogun said although there may be Nigerians in Iran, none has officially reached out to the Commission for assistance.
Making clarifications, Balogun said: “I’m not saying there are no Nigerians there, I’m only saying nobody has sent any distress call.
“Flight cancellations were due to ongoing hostilities, stressing that no airline would 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.
“The suspension of flights makes any immediate evacuation impossible, except if a ceasefire is declared to allow stranded persons to leave.
“They may 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.
He also noted that Nigeria do not have an embassy in Iran, stating that he does not have the statistics of Nigerians in Iran, or those that may be affected due to the ongoing crisis.
“The only person controlling embassies is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. They will be able to tell the statistics of Nigerians living in Iran.
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 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 Dubai or Greece.
Speaking on the possibility of activating a full evacuation plan, Balogun said certain conditions must be met before the Federal Government can intervene.
He stressed that affected Nigerians must formally request assistance and be willing to return home.
“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 is made and conditions permit, the Federal Government could arrange emergency measures, including chartering aircraft and setting up a rescue committee.
“All must be Nigerian and must be ready to come back home,” he stated.
He further affirmed that the protection of Nigerians abroad remains a core responsibility of the Federal Government in line with its citizen diplomacy policy.
“If the life of any Nigerian is in danger and it reaches out to us, the Federal Government will look for a way out. Even if we don’t have an aircraft, we can lease or hire for that operation,” he said.
However, he reiterated that without a ceasefire and the reopening of airspace, evacuation efforts would be impracticable.
“As far as I know, I’m not aware that anybody has sent a distress call,” he maintained, adding that international protocols must also be observed in situations of global airspace restrictions.
