Over 60 China-based Nigerians stranded over suspension of entry visa into China

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No fewer than 60 Nigerians resident in China are stranded in Nigeria given the suspension of entry visa into China by the Consulate-General of China in Nigeria and the Chinese Embassy. 

The affected people who had arrived in Nigeria prior to the lockdown imposed last year, lamented that they have been denied entry into the country more than one year after. 

Vanguard exclusively gathered that citizens had variously gone to the Chinese Consulate  in Lagos to renew their documents only to be told they could not return to China until further notice. Some of the affected persons were said to have arrived in the country in December 2019, before Coronavirus became a global pandemic. 

Consequently, they called on the Federal Government to intervene to enable them reunite with their families who they left behind. 

One of the affected persons, who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonymity for fear of being victimised, said their families were suffering as a result of their inability to return. 

He said:” I have been here since December 2019. If not for my inability to get visa,  I would have returned to join my family and resume my business. I have spent a year and three months in Nigeria. Some of us came back in January 2020. Before coming to Nigeria, my wife had a two-month old baby,  who is now more than a year-old but I haven’t set my eyes on her since then. 

Worse of it, our families are suffering because of the absence of breadwinners. Some of them have been ejected from their homes due to inability to pay their house rent. They have now gone to live at local places where they could afford the rent.  We are appealing to Nigeria in Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM, led by Abike Dabiri to assist us.