69 Evacuated As Lebanese Embassy Halts Issuance Of Visas To Nigerians

The Lebanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Houssam Diab, on Thursday said the Embassy had suspended issuing working visas to Nigerians seeking domestic work in Lebanon.

The ambassador disclosed this when he hosted Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in his Abuja office on Thursday.

In recent years, there has been an exodus of some Nigerians, particularly female, to Lebanon to seek greener pasture.

Diab said the mission suspended the issuance of the working visa to Nigerians since May 1.

He disclosed that the decision to suspend the visa was not unconnected to the viral video of Peace Busari, a Nigerian lady offered for sale on Facebook by a non-Lebanese in April this year.

He said the suspension was to forestall future occurrence of such incident for categories of workers pending the time the procedure would be properly harmonised with the modalities of the Ministry of Labour.

Diab noted that so far, the Lebanese Government in conjunction with the Lebanese community in Nigeria had brought back to Nigeria 69 out of the 79 Nigerians allegedly stranded and abused by their bosses in Lebanon.

Diab explained that the remaining 10 Nigerians, who would be transported home soon after the COVID-19 lockdown, have cases to answer and would be repatriated once they are through.

He clarified that the Embassy and the Lebanese community paid over $150,000 to evacuate the 69 Nigerians and also paid for their 14 days quarantine owing to the Coronavirus Disease protocol, adding that they were not trafficked or went to Lebanon illegally but were abused by their employers who also breached the working agreement and did not have money to bring them back.

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The Ambassador said however that some of them did not want to come back to Nigeria despite their challenges.

He said such people preferred to change their work places in order to be able to pay up the agents who facilitated their travelling.

Earlier, Dabiri-Erewa had told Diab she visited to know when the remaining 10 Nigerians would be brought back into the country to start a new life, stressing the need for some level of awareness.

She said the Commission was working out an arrangement with the Ministry of Labour to model it after the Philippines working scheme, where verification and certification must be provided among agents, employers and prospective employees to prevent further unfortunate cases.

She added that a platform should be available for aggrieved domestic staff to lay complaints legally.

The Chairman commended the Ambassador for his assistance, especially in evacuating the 69 Nigerians and the safe release of the Nigerian lady who was advertised for sale on social media.

Dabiri-Erewa however said it was necessary for the public to know that the girl refused to come back to Nigeria, but preferred to renegotiate with another employer in Lebanon and has since gained employment there.

The highlight of the meeting included a resolution for both the Lebanese Ambassador and the Chairman of NIDCOM to work for the growth and development of both the Nigerian and Lebanese Diaspora.