The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) says it has not received any distress calls from Nigerians residing in Iran amid the ongoing hostilities involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
In an interview, NiDCOM’s Director of Media and Public Relations, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, clarified that while Nigerians may be living in Iran, none has officially contacted the commission for assistance.
“I’m not saying there are no Nigerians there, I’m only saying nobody has sent any distress call,” he said.
When asked to estimate the number of Nigerians potentially affected by the crisis, Balogun explained that NiDCOM does not maintain such data. He directed further inquiries to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which oversees Nigeria’s diplomatic missions abroad.
“We don’t have embassies there. The only person controlling embassies is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. They will be able to tell you,” he added.
On the possibility of collaborating with airlines or foreign authorities to prevent Nigerians from being stranded, Balogun said such coordination is currently impractical due to widespread flight suspensions.
“There is suspension of flights by all airlines. We cannot collaborate with anybody,” he stated, noting that Nigeria presently does not have a national carrier operating international routes. “Which Nigerian airline? We don’t have one now,” he said.
Balogun explained that Nigerians who travel to Iran typically do so independently, often transiting through countries such as the United Arab Emirates or Greece.
Addressing questions about a potential evacuation plan, he said certain conditions must be met before the Federal Government can intervene. According to him, affected Nigerians must formally request assistance and indicate their willingness to return home.
“You cannot force them; people went there voluntarily. In Sudan and Ukraine, some initially said they were not leaving. So people must seek help and say, ‘Our lives are in danger, can you evacuate us?’” he explained.
He noted that once such a request is made and circumstances permit, the Federal Government can activate emergency measures, including chartering aircraft and establishing a rescue committee.
“They must be Nigerians and be ready to come back home,” he said.
Balogun reaffirmed that the safety of Nigerians abroad remains a core responsibility of the Federal Government under its citizen diplomacy policy.
“If the life of any Nigerian is in danger and it reaches out to us, the Federal Government will look for a way out. Even if we don’t have an aircraft, we can lease or hire one for that operation. As far as I know, I’m not aware that anybody has sent a distress call,” he added.