No fewer than 60 Nigerians presently in Wuhan, the Chinese city hit by the novel coronavirus have reached out to the federal government to evacuate them.
This was made known by Zhou Pingjian, Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, while addressing a press conference in Abuja on Monday.
“There might be 40,000 or 50,000 Chinese nationals in Nigeria”, and that most of them are in Lagos, Pingjian added.
The virus has killed 362 people in China as of Monday, according to reports.
Meanwhile, Lai Mohammed, minister of information, had said last week that the 16 Nigerians in Wuhan have not indicated interest to return home.
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Pingjian said the Chinese government are taking relevant steps to contain the virus and keep residents safe.
“We give the health of the Chinese citizens and foreign nationals including our Nigerian friends equal treatment,” he said.
“Nigeria has taken measures more than as required in emergencies and that is commendable. And there is no Chinese national in Nigeria that is affected by the virus.”
