PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, and Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, to commence the process of repatriating Nigerians who travelled to Russia for the FIFA 2018 World Cup but got stranded after the competition.

This was contained in an information released by the Personal Assistant to Buhari on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, via his verified Twitter handle, @BashirAhmaad.

The Nigerian football fans got stranded in Russia following the activities of some unscrupulous travel agents who allegedly cancelled their return tickets without prior notice.

“The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Aviation have, in compliance with the President’s directive, taken the necessary actions to bring the Nigerians back,” Ahmad claims.

“The Presidential directive is in line with the policy of the current administration to ensure the welfare of all Nigerians in every part of the world.

“It would be recalled that the President Buhari administration has, on several occasions, ensured the repatriation of Nigerians from foreign countries like Libya and other conflict zones,” he adds.

The President’s directive is coming after the Russian government had announced that it had granted visa-free entry for football fans till end of 2018. – Punch

– Jul 16, 2018 @ 18:39 GMT |