As the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, Nigerians living in Lebanon have contradicted the Federal Government’s claim that approximately 500 citizens have registered for evacuation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Ambassador Eche Abu-Obe, announced over the weekend that around 500 Nigerians had reportedly registered with the Nigerian Embassy in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, for evacuation. Abu-Obe also mentioned that while over 2,000 Nigerians are residing in Lebanon, most have not expressed a desire to return home despite the embassy’s efforts.
“Currently, about 500 Nigerians have registered with the mission; however, there are more than 2,000 Nigerian citizens residing in the country. Even though most of them have not indicated a willingness to return home despite the persuasion by our embassy, we will continue to do everything to ensure the safety of our citizens,” the spokesperson said.
However, the President of the Nigerian Community in Lebanon, Mr. Roland Aigbovbiosa, disputed the claim in an interview with The PUNCH on Monday, describing the figure as “very untrue and incorrect.”
“As the President of the Nigerian community here, I can confirm that this is not true. There are no 500 Nigerians registered for evacuation here,” Aigbovbiosa stated.
He clarified that the 500 Nigerians referenced by the ministry were those officially profiled by the Nigerian Embassy for documentation purposes, not for evacuation. According to Aigbovbiosa, the profiling exercise had been ongoing for over two years to register Nigerians living in Lebanon with proper documentation, unrelated to the recent conflict.
“This exercise has been going on for over two years. Out of the more than 2,000 Nigerians here, only a little over 500 have come forward to register with the embassy for profiling, unrelated to the current crisis. The figure being cited is mistakenly linked to evacuation, which is incorrect,” he explained.
Following the worsening conflict, the Federal Government had called on Nigerians in Lebanon to contact the Nigerian mission for documentation in preparation for potential evacuation. Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, urged citizens to register with the embassy in a post on his verified X account.
Despite this, Aigbovbiosa reported that only 30 Nigerians had registered for evacuation by Monday afternoon, though he anticipated this number might rise as the situation deteriorates.
“By Saturday, only a little over 20 Nigerians had registered for evacuation. As of today, the number has increased to 30. I am personally noting the names of those ready to return, and I expect the numbers to grow in the coming days,” he said.
He attributed the increase to the mounting fear among Nigerians as the conflict intensifies, leading many to reconsider returning home. Meanwhile, Ambassador Abu-Obe confirmed on Monday that about 40 Nigerians had registered for evacuation, according to the Chargé d’affaires in Lebanon.
