The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, has explained why foreign nationals are leaving Nigeria in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
He made the clarification while responding to questions at the Presidential Task Force briefing on COVID-19 which held on Friday in Abuja.
The minister believes the exit of the foreigners does not necessarily have anything to do with the nation’s healthcare system.
According to him, they may have taken the decision to leave Nigeria as a result of the system that works best for them should any situation arise.
“I think the foreigners who are leaving, whether there is something they know that we don’t know, I think it is a lot more innocent than that,” the ministers told reporters at the briefing.
He added, “It is basically a case where people are more familiar with the health systems in their various countries and so prefer to go to the various countries so in the event that they might have to be confined, they will be in more familiar surroundings.
“And they will also have access to the medical practitioners that they are used to and, of course, facilities that they are used to. So that’s really the reason.”
Onyeama stressed that the countries whose citizens have been evacuated still have their ambassadors, heads of missions, and other staff in Nigeria and have no plans of leaving.
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