ACCRA, Oct 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (NIDO) Ghana chapter, in collaboration with the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana, has successfully rescued and repatriated 36 stranded Northern Nigerian citizens back to Sokoto State, Nigeria.
NIDO Ghana President, Prince Olayemi, made the announcement in a video made available to the media as the bus carrying the individuals departed from Ghana.
These individuals were construction workers who had traveled through several West African countries, including Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Niger, in search of work.
They became stranded after the contract they were working on in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, expired, and their handler abandoned them. While trying to make their way back to Nigeria, they ended up in Ghana and were discovered by NIDO.
“They are site engineer workers, they’re all Northerners. You can see it, 36 Northern citizens, Nigerian Northern citizens, all are Hausas,” Olayemi told MyNigeria.
“They used to travel from the West Coast and go through Ivory Coast, Ghana and all that, go to Niger and all that. They used to go and work, they are builders. So, they became stranded because their contract expired and the individual responsible for them had dumped them”
“So, they only managed to get to Ghana and they became stranded and couldn’t go further,” he said.
According to Olayemi, the workers have been in their care after being stranded for 10 days.
“They have been around in the last two weeks and we’ve been attending to them in the last 10 days. We finally secured a bus going to Sokoto state for them yesterday and they’ve departed.”
The President expressed his gratitude to the High Commissioner in Ghana, Ambassador Moses Ifedayo Adeoye, for his significant financial support and assistance in securing clearance for the workers.
He mentioned that the High Commission also helped register the vehicle that transported them to ensure they did not face any administrative challenges on their journey. Additionally, the workers were provided with funds to use upon their arrival in Nigeria.
He also commended the Arewa community in Ghana for their tremendous support, mentioning that they played a vital role in providing shelter and food to the workers throughout their stay. — NNN-AGENCIES