 our government should have done better in ensuring that the almost 3,000 Nigerians in Khartoum, especially or the whole of Sudan, are catered for. As soon as it was clear that things were breaking down, even before the actual exchange of fire, we should have been thinking about what do we do to get our people out? That's what a country, that is what being called a country does to provide for the security of its citizens wherever they are. So it doesn't have to be to take a group because most of the students are students from the northern part of the country. That's why the CNG was the one issuing the statement, but it doesn't matter who issues the statement. The fact of the matter is we have been lax. You mentioned the fact that Nigeria is planning. Planning was what you used. It's not that evacuation is taking place. The Ethiopians were allowing other citizens of other countries to enter Ethiopia. Our students that took it upon themselves to try to find their safety when their government is not rising up for them were being turned back by, from what I just saw in some video going viral, were being turned back that they hadn't the visa to enter. That tells you about the extent to which our government really cares about its citizens because every Nigerian, and I listened to Aliko Dangote complaining about how even he, the richest man in Africa, because he's carrying a Nigerian passport, is treated around the world. What's our government doing in ensuring that yes, we get better respect than is currently the case? Our government should have done better in ensuring that. Yeah. Well, that was Professor Baba Femi Badejo talking about the situation in Sudan right now. And one line I got from there, a country that is what being called a country should have done better. Should have done XYZ that enumerated. When you saw that things were degenerating, you should have acted rather than leaving it to this point. And I just don't want, I just can't wrap my head around the fact that Nigeria was still, as I said yesterday, planning until maybe because they have the peace, air peace offering to take them for free. That is why an action is going to be done today. And moreover, they're saying 2000, about 2000 out of the 5,500 or more. And you know, that takes us back to something that Chris Candy Wando said, the analysts that joined. There was a time when Nigeria, in such a situation, would quickly evacuate its people and even help countries from citizens from other countries to move and then they start finding their way home from Nigeria. So you asked the question, when did the ball stop bouncing? Who dropped the ball? Who dropped the ball? Why is Nigeria regressing? Because this is not the first time this is happening. And it's rather unfortunate that our children have to be left to themselves to begin to look for how to help themselves out of such a situation. When you're in a war situation, no, nothing ready in the textbook will matter because now they're saying don't seek self-help. But how confident are they that their government is going to do something even if they say it? And those are the issues. And now, why is it that Nigerians of all the countries, Nigerians alone will not be allowed access into other countries where people are seeking asylum, at least temporary asylum, until their countries evacuate them or until the war is over? That's the question, what valley does Nigeria have out there? Yeah, so when you brandish your passport, I mean Nigerian, does it bring good to you or bring evil to you? Does it bring pride to you or bring something else to you? It's terrible. Okay, I think we're being joined by Dr. Onimo De Abdullahi Bandelay, the director of special duties NEMA and chairman for the evacuation of stranded Nigerians in Sudan. Let's see if he's there. Doctor Bandelay, good morning and welcome to the program. I think his microphone is doing ceasefire as well. And it's not even funny. We need to have this discussion because we were supposed to have had him yesterday and then we couldn't have him because of glitches and we just cannot afford this glitch because Nigerians want to hear from him being in charge of the evacuation of the stranded Nigerians in Sudan. Do we have him on? Yes, I'm here, I hear you. Okay. Dr. Onimo De Abdullahi Bandelay, it's good to have you. Good morning, thank you for having me. All right, so the question on our lips and on the lips of every Nigerian is when are our people coming to Nigeria from Sudan? Good morning. Good morning, Nigerians. Like you must have heard that we told the general public yesterday, the movement from Khartoum to Egypt is to commence today. And until that start, that we can give you a definite time when there will be Nigeria because the distance between Khartoum and our ports, where the air will take place, is over at around a kilometer. So you can imagine what if you take them before they arrive at that destination. Okay, but we hear that they are up to 5,500 or above people stranded in Sudan of Nigerian origin, Nigerian origin. Now we're hearing also, maybe it's true or not true, that only about 2,000 will be airlifted today from Sudan to wherever you're taking them before they get to Nigeria. Are these the actual figures or you have different figures? Thank you very much. When this initial plan started, we saw the population of about 5,000 stranded Nigerians. But that yesterday, I confirmed from the ambassador in Khartoum that the plan is to move 3,500 stranded Nigerians into Egypt for airlifts. Let me quickly add that as I speak to you, the director general of NEMA, Mustafa Habib Ahmed, is already on ground in Egypt for the past four days, working in conjunction with our ambassador, His Excellency Ambassador Nasir Rini in Egypt, coordinating the reception for these Nigerians at the border of Sudan with Egypt. So that is where we are this morning. All right, your agency and indeed the federal government have received knocks for the delay in action. But we're not going to dwell on that because we're moving forward from that to this day where we now have a situation where they are bearing the process to evacuate them has begun. I want to know the level of communications you have with Nigerians there and if they are all safe, if there are no casualties and exactly their state of welfare at this point in time? Thank you very much. Let me quickly call despite that impression that Nigeria was slow to act, it was a crisis situation. I will not because we want to get our nationals out and engage anybody's life. You must have read from the news that even Egypt that is closer to Sudan just concluded the evacuation yesterday and they lost an official in the process. Nigeria don't want to go into that, we don't want to lose official, we don't want to lose our city. We're waiting for a safe corridor which we now have to move this people out. Consigning communication, the embassy is in touch with Nigerian nationals in Sudan and it is the same embassy that has communicated then the time and burning for departure to Egypt. Okay, but since you've touched on the topic, what actually did Nigeria do? What were their arrangements like? Because right now what we hear is that an airline of Nigerian origin has volunteered to take these children free of charge. If he hadn't volunteered, what did the government do? Because these are some of the things that make people not to trust the words of government and that's why maybe some of them were seeking self-help and the government had to send a message that they should stay indoors and wait. So what actually was the plan of government before AAPIS volunteered to lift this people up? Thank you so much for the Nigerian nationals that have self-evacuated, we feel their pain. We know what was most in their mind was safety. However, it is a wrong impression that we unfolded our arms in the inner planning process. Commercial airlines of Nigeria origin were already contacted before the good will of Mr. Ayama Ali. I must confess to you that I spoke with him personally yesterday and he's in very high spirits that will be ready to commence evaporation as soon as information reaches the airline. That will only happen when we have a safe movement between Khartoum and Egypt. All right, throw some light on this issue which has been on the leaps of Nigerians since yesterday and that is the fact that the students made some efforts to help themselves, they tasked themselves 100 dollars each so that they could exit through Khartoum into Ethiopia but they were not allowed passage while nationals from other countries were allowed passage. Can you throw more light on that? Is that true and if that is true, why did the Nigerian students receive such treatment from the Ethiopians? Thank you very much. Let me quickly add here that my line of communication or the line of communication between us at home and Nigerian national khartoum is through the embassy. There was no student body that we spoke to. There was no information from the embassy that students are being taxed to pay money. So as far as we are concerned at the agency, we are not aware of that. However, we are not unaware that some students tried to save a banquet through Ethiopian border and when they got stranded, efforts were made to speak to Nigeria Basadu and Addis Ababa who did enude Baba through this government of Addis. I have not confirmed this point, what is the position of that enude Baba or to say Nigerians were denied. These are inter-country movements that are diplomatic in nature. So I would not want to comment much on that because I am not saddled with the responsibility of that diplomatic assignment, but rather the Nigerian ambassador in Addis Ababa is handy. Movement of the citizens out of Sudan is very timely. It tallies with the time line given for the ceasefire. But what if the ceasefire breaks down again? Because we have seen it the first time, before it even began, the fighting still continued. So what if this one breaks down and it doesn't last for the 72 hours that is projected to last? Is there a plan B? Before that information went out, our embassy in Khartoum has worked out all this modality to ensure that we are not cut off, should increase there is another break down in the ceasefire. So we are very optimistic that we will have been out before any ceasefire break down if that happens. All right, just before we go, you said that before, just for clarity and emphasis. So there is an ongoing process to get them out of Sudan as we speak. The first batch of Nigerians are going to be, the Nigerians to be evacuated are going to be in the cover of 40 buses that are cut from Khartoum. 40 buses to Egypt? Yes, 20 from Khartoum. What of the second batch and the final batch? I don't know how many batches there will be. What I'm saying is if people are about to move now already have 40 buses on ground. So as is the process, as it continues, I will update you since I'm in touch with your station. Dr. Nimode Abdullah Ibandele is the Director Special Deities, NEMA and Chairman for the evacuation of stranded Nigerians in Sudan. Thank you so much for your time and updates on the situation, which is very... Before I go, before I collect the information, the Director General of NEMA, Mustafa Bibermez, the Chairman, Federal Government for Mithuan Disadvacuation and like his operation officer base at home here. Thank you. Thank you for the correction. Thank you so much. Okay, yeah. We've been talking to him and it's been, you know, it's gladdening that we were able to talk to him and we've been assured that our people are going to be evacuated. We can't wait for the last of them to leave Sudan. Whatever happens next is less dangerous than being in a country that is fighting now, fighting with itself, not fighting rebels this time around. I've not heard it before that a government just fights itself. The opposition, as it were, was supposed to be the leader, was supposed to be the Prime Minister of the country. So government and government just fighting is more dangerous because now you don't know who to run to. Both of them are fighting. It's terrible. The government, the military of the country and those that the government put in place, the President, the Manning Church had put in place for himself as Plan B, clashing. That's what's going on. And it's unfortunate because at the end of the day, it is the grass that suffers. It is Africa that suffers. It is Africans that suffer. It is us that are losing. We need to begin to look in what's at sea. Because at the end of the day, don't forget humanitarian crisis will arise from this. Well, that's it. We've been talking about our people, not children now, because the age bracket, some of them you can't call them children. But our people are in Sudan, but we are happy that they're going to be evacuated now. If you were not aware and, okay, well, we are going to take a short break. And when we return, we'll be talking about what is happening in the Twitter space and the tech space as it is. So just stay with us.