The federal government has listed the names of 13 Nigerians who died from COVID-19 complications abroad.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), published a video in honour of the victims via her Twitter handle on Thursday.
The Nigerians listed are:
- Alfa Sa’adu (United Kingdom)
- Carol Jamabo (United Kingdom)
- Kole Abayomi, SAN (United Kingdom)
- Bode Ajanlekoko (United Kingdom)
- Adeola Onasanya (United Kingdom)
- Ugochukwu Erondu (United Kingdom)
- Chidinma Olajide (United Kingdom)
- Bassey Offiong (USA)
- Caleb Anya (USA)
- Mmaete Greg (USA)
- Akeem Adagun (USA)
- Laila Abubakar Ali (USA)
- Patricia Imobhio (USA)
Sa’adu was a medical director at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Essex and Ealing NHS Trust, before he died at the age of 68. Bassey Offiong, a 25-year-old chemical engineering student of Western Michigan University, US, was expected to complete his degree a few weeks before he passed on.
There are currently efforts to evacuate Nigerians from foreign countries.
Speaking at the media briefing of the presidential task force on COVID-19 on Wednesday, Geoffrey Onyeama, minister of foreign affairs, said about 200 Nigerians in the United States have indicated interest to be evacuated to Nigeria over COVID-19.
As of April 9, 2020, 288 COVID-19 cases had been confirmed in Nigeria. Of that figure, 51 persons have recovered with seven deaths recorded.
On a global scale, more than 1.3 million people have tested positive for the virus, with over 60,000 persons have died.
Below is Dabiri-Erewa’s tweet:
May the souls of our brothers and sisters in Diaspora , who lost their lives to Covid 19, RIP. May the Lord heal the world