Coronavirus: Sixteen Nigerians In China Yet To Indicate Interest To Return – Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has confirmed that a total of sixteen Nigerians reside in Wuhan – a city in China that is under a lockdown as a result of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Mohammed said although the sixteen Nigerians have not shown interest that they want to return to the country over the virus outbreak, the federal government has been keeping is in touch with them.

The minister, while addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, said the federal government cannot force the citizens to return to the country or ban anyone from traveling to China.

“We know it is a bit difficult to ban people from travelling,” he said.

“Another thing is that this is not a basis to stigmatise people who come from there.

“Even if we have Nigerians who are there, unless they indicate interest that they want to come home, we can’t force them.

“I know we have Nigerians in Wuhan; our Embassy in China has confirmed that we have about 16 Nigerians in Wuhan and they are in touch with them.

“They have, however, not indicated their interest to come home. They will, however, contact our embassy if they like to come home.

“We need a lot of public enlightenment. We need to let people who travel know that there is the need for absolute transparency and absolute honesty when they are filling out forms.”

Meanwhile, since the outbreak and continued global spread of the Coronavirus disease, an estimated five million people are said to have left the city.

The virus has so far spread to Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, United States, Vietnam and the United Kingdom, thereby prompting the World Health Organisation (WHO) declare it as a global emergence.

The death in the outbreak has risen to 213 with more than 9,709 cases confirmed in mainland China.