President Goodluck Jonathan has now instructed the National Security Adviser, Lt.-Gen. Andrew Owoye Azazi (rtd) and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Odein Ajumogobia, to immediately begin the evacuation of Nigerians trapped at the airport in Cairo, Egypt as a result of the turmoil in the leading Arab nation.

Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), Ima Niboro, told journalists at the sides of the ongoing 16th Ordinary African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia that President Jonathan gave the directive on Sunday night when he was briefed on the situation in Egypt and how Nigerians had been negatively affected by the crisis.

According to Niboro, “President Jonathan has directed both Azazi and Ajumogobia to immediately coordinate the mission and return the trapped Nigerians home to their families and loved ones.”

Ajumogobia is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with President Jonathan and is expected to lead negotiations towards evacuating the trapped Nigerians from there.

No fewer than 200 Nigerians, mainly students, businessmen, government officials and others on medical visits are reportedly stranded at the Cairo’s International Airport due to the turmoil in that country and have not been able to even call home as the Egyptian authorities had blocked the Internet and mobile telephones.

Egypt Air, which is the major airline the Nigerians booked for the flight, have been cancelling flights to African cities especially Lagos, Kano, Accra, Nairobi, Entebbe Accra though it was still operating many flights to European and Arabian cities smoothly.

Egypt has been in crisis for nearly a week now, with hundreds of thousands of youth pouring into the streets everyday in an effort to topple President Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled the country for nearly 30 years.

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