President Muhammadu Buhari has approved $8.5m dollars for the evacuation of Nigerians stranded in Ukraine.
This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Foreign affairs, Zubairu Dada on Wednesday, March 2 shortly after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osibanjo at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Addressing State House correspondents after the meeting, he said the president approved $8.5 million for the evacuation exercise.
” The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs wrote a memo to the president seeking funding to enable us conduct this exercise. The memo was to the tune of $8.5 million which Mr President has graciously approved. That Provision entails an arrangement to evacuate no less than 5,000 Nigerians” he said.
According to him, the pickup flights would be headed to four countries, which are : Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania.
As Russian troops entered Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, street violence erupted.
According to Synehubov, the head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, residents of the eastern city should stay in shelters and avoid travelling as Russian vehicles invaded Kharkiv on Sunday.
He was quoted as saying, “The Russian enemy’s vehicles advanced into the city of Kharkiv. Including the central part of the city. Warning! Do not leave your shelters!” Governor Synyehubov said in a Facebook post Sunday.
“The Armed Forces of Ukraine are eliminating the enemy. Civilians are asked not to go out in the streets.”
For the previous three days, Ukrainian forces have been able to keep Russian troops out of the city, but Synehubov claims that this has suddenly changed, with the battle taking place in the city’s core.
Roman Abramovic, the owner of Chelsea Football Club, had relinquished control of the club. Skynews reported this development on Saturday, February 26.
“During my nearly 20-year ownership of Chelsea FC, I have always viewed my role as a custodian of the Club, whose it is ensuring that we are as successful as we can be today, as well as build for the future , while also playing a positive role in our communities. I have always taken decisions with the Club’s best interest at heart. I remain committed to this values. That is why I am today giving trustees of Chelsea’s charitable foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea FC ” He said.
“I believe that currently they are in the best position to look after the interests of the Club, players, staff and fans” He added
Abramovic decision is coming amidst the Russian-Ukraine crises and the call for the UK government to take over Chelsea Football Club and other Russian establishments in the country.
Nigeria’s foreign policy of nonalignment is on the right track. Thus, I commend how we keep mute and only call for peace in this ongoing face-off and altercation between Ukraine (backed by Western powers) and almighty Russia under President Putin.
Nevertheless, any attempt to side with one of the warring parties can be a big blow to the international relations prowess we have been displaying over decades. History had it that Russia supported Nigeria during the Biafra civil war. Reportedly, Malam Aminu Kano served as a bridge and intermediary embodiment between the Nigerian government and Russia in arms purchase, which positively impacted winning that war.
Aminu Kano’s Communist stance captivated Russia. Therefore, he successfully had that bilateral thing with them. It was a critical moment for Nigeria when France was solidly behind Biafrans.
However, even our much-talked-about project expected to shoot Nigeria into the league of technologically oriented countries – Ajakuota Steel project – was Russian technology. As a result, many of our technocrats were and continue to be trained in Russia.
Despite the shift in our foreign policy from the East to the West and now to Asia, Russia still maintains fantastic and fine bilateral relations with Nigeria. So supporting Ukraine to please Western powers will not do us better.
We better keep to our callings for peace and leverage primarily on this soaring of oil prices in the international oil market, evacuate Nigerians caught up there. We shall continue to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.
Salisu Kofar-Wambai wrote from Kano. He can be reached via salisunews@gmail.com.
Ukraine without US military intervention is somewhat like a sacrificial lamb in the hands of Russia. Putin is not Hitler. He has already outlined his objective; to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO. On this, it seems Russia has a valid reason. If Ukraine joined NATO it will jeopardize Russia’s access to the black sea. It is a war of survival as Ukraine failed to balance its act and be friends to both EU, NATO and Russia.
Unfortunately for Ukraine, America will not fight Russia on its behalf for many reasons, not that America does not have the strength to face Russia. President Putin had done his calculations very well.
America is a democracy and unfortunately for Ukraine, the party in power in America is not a war monger like the Republicans who are neither in control of the White House today, nor in control of the Congress. Under Donald Trump, Putin would never have invaded Ukraine despite the cordial relationship that existed between him and Trump. The second reason why America will not be involved is that, America has no obligation to defend Ukraine because there is no any treaty making it obligatory to do so. Ukraine is not Latvia or Poland who are members of NATO. And Putin knows all these. The third reason is that, the United Nations has not passed resolution asking for the world to stop Russian invasion by military force. The UN resolution also needs the endorsement of China, a Russia’s ally that is unlikely to allow the resolution to fly. Furthermore, Russia has a veto power and can shoot down the resolution.
President of Ukraine
The truth is Ukraine is under unprovoked and unjustified attack on its democracy by a dictator that does not know the value of human lives. Already 46 people, most of them civilians have been killed. But Russia is also careful with Ukraine because Ukraine was the second most powerful state to emerge from Soviet Union after Russia itself. The two countries have been at war since 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea. They are officially at a full stage war today. Ukraine is a nuclear power. Russia must tread with caution. The country has 130 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) with six nuclear warheads each. It also has 46 RT-23 Molodets ICBMs with ten warheads apiece, as well as 33 heavy bombers, totaling approximately 1,700 warheads. In retrospect Ukraine is not a meatloaf that can be eaten without Russia itself committing suicide.
President Putin said he only wanted to demilitarize Ukraine and de-Nazify it. He has no intention of occupying it. A task that would have been impossible with Western powers meddling in the crisis.
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia is a “catastrophe” for Europe, according to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has asked for an emergency summit of the NATO military alliance led by the United States.
He was quoted as saying on Twitter: “This is a catastrophe for our continent.”
Mr. Johnson added that he would make a national address on the developments.
“I will also speak to fellow G7 leaders and I am calling for an urgent meeting of all NATO leaders as soon as possible,” he said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls on citizens to fight
Zelenskyy has appealed to all civilians who are willing to protect Ukraine against Russian soldiers to come forward, stressing that Kyiv will provide firearms to anyone who requests them.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko also urged Russians to resist Moscow’s plan to invade their country’s neighbour.
Recall that Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the launch of attacks on parts of Ukraine as part of the move to support intending breakaway regions in the Eastern part of the country.
The attack has caused outrage and condemnations from world powers as citizens flee Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital city, although Putin stated that the attacks were not targeted at unarmed civilians.
Ukraine claimed that it had shot down fighter jets belonging to the Russian forces stationed in the unresting part of the country.
