Why we are evacuating our citizens from 78 countries, by US

 

  • Nigeria gets $7 million from $274 million COVID-19 aid
  • $8.1 billion in total assistance for Nigeria in 20 years

The United States Department of State has no greater priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas, adding that they are rising to meet the historic challenge posed by the COVID-19 epidemic, every day, all over the world.

As of April 6, 2020, the Department said it had repatriated, or helped to repatriate, over 44,000 U.S. citizens from 78 countries since January 29, 2020 from Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Bangladesh, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Congo (DRC), Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus.

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The US nationals have equally been evacuated from Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mongolia, Morocco.

Others are from Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, and Uzbekistan.

A statement by the US Consulate General, Public Affairs Section, Lagos, said, “At our Embassies and Consulates overseas, our Consular teams are working tirelessly to identify transportation options for U.S. citizens seeing to return to the United States. Where commercial transportation options no longer exist, our teams are exploring all possible means to help Americans get home, including charter flights where appropriate”.

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The United States is providing nearly $274 million to help dozens of countries to combat the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), furthering America’s commitment to humanitarian assistance and global health.

 

For Nigeria specifically, more than $7 million in health and humanitarian funding will go toward risk communication, water and sanitation activities, infection prevention, and coordination.
This assistance, it noted joins more than $5.2 billion in U.S. health assistance and more than $8.1 billion in total assistance for Nigeria over the past 20 years.

It noted that the U.S. CDC in Nigeria is working with PEPFAR Implementing Partners to leverage resources to help establish sample collection centers in one PEPFAR-supported facility per state; host emergency operation centers; and utilize PEPFAR-supported human resources and supplies to support COVID-19 testing labs.

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Wole Shadare