TheCable

The federal government has defended the amount spent on buses to evacuate Nigerians from Sudan amid the ongoing unrest in the country.

On Wednesday, Geoffery Onyeama, minister of foreign affairs, said all 40 buses that would be used to transport Nigerians from Sudan cost about $1.2 million.

The minister said the high cost of the evacuation was to provide security cover for the Nigerians’ journey to the Egyptian borders.

The development stirred mixed reactions on social media, with many faulting the price quoted for the buses.

Reacting to the outcry in a joint statement released on Saturday, the ministries of foreign affairs and humanitarian affairs, described the criticism as “uncalled for”.

They said the federal government “negotiated in a condition of war and where there are competing demands for the same bus services by other countries also trying to evacuate their citizens”.

“The general public is also advised to discountenance unverified information being circulated on social media as some of them are either due to ignorance or sheer mischief,” the statement reads.

“The outcry over the negotiated sum of $1.2 million for the buses hired for the exercise, is uncalled for.

“The amount in question was negotiated in a condition of war and where there are competing demands for the same bus services by other countries also trying to evacuate their citizens.

“Therefore, the cooperation and understanding of all and sundry are required to complement ongoing efforts aimed at ensuring the safe return of every Nigerian trapped in Sudan.”

The federal government said 637 Nigerians have safely made it down to the Egyptian border.

The second phase of the evacuation exercise is expected to continue today.