The Chinese embassy and the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) say the controversially invited Chinese medical team is still in the country to assist Nigerian efforts against COVID-19.
They spoke in response to Nigerian government’s suggestion via the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the team should’ve just returned to China.
When the foreign ministry was contacted about the recent evacuation of Nigerians from China given the temporary suspension of the exercise, the ministry clarified that “the aeroplane that took the Chinese medical team back to their base could not just come empty like that.”
Ferdinand Nwonye, a spokesman for the ministry, later categorically said that the Chinese medical team had left Nigeria.
Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, whose husband is a pilot, also posted on her Instagram page the news of the departure of “the Chinese people who flew in some time ago,” with a marked photo of her husband Matthew Ekeinde, the flight crew and the Chinese passengers.
This reignited the controversy following the medics’ whereabouts that pitted some Nigerians against the Nigerian government , especially the Ministry of Health.
The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, had said the medical personnel “are not guests of the federal government but CCECC, a construction company.”
Many Nigerians and medical organizations had kicked against inviting the medical experts to the decision.
When the team arrived in Nigeria on April 8 with medical equipment funded by the CCECC, Mr Ehanire had said that “they came to share their experiences in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Chinese corporation said the funding is part of its corporate social responsibility in battling the pandemic in Nigeria as well as preventing its spread among its employees by providing expertise on virus management.
he Chinese embassy refuted the argument that the medical
The Embassy spokesperson, Sun Siaxiong, who spoke on Sunday, said it was untrue to report them sneaking out of Nigeria. She told Chinese medical personnel “are still much around here in Abuja.”
“It is untrue that they have left Nigeria. Their coming to the country was to assist the CCECC to prevent the pandemic outbreak in the company and also to extend their hands to Nigeria in experience sharing and management of COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
The Executive Director, CCECC Nigeria, Lian Jianfeng, also refuted the claim.
Mr JianFeng said the medical team had complied with all known immigration and health protocols and would continue to do so until there is the reopening of international commercial flights to China.
“They are still in Abuja. The team are waiting for the re-opening of the international commercial flight from Abuja,” he said.
He added that the Chinese people recently evacuated were ‘a special group’ whose flight was organised by the Chinese government.
“The flight organised by Chinese government was for the special group: aged below 14 or above 60 and some other particular people. The numbers were limited. And the flight departed from Lagos,” he said.
The spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs ministry, Mr Nwonye and Mrs Jalade-Ekeinde, about the Chinese embassy’s refutation of their claims.
Mr Nwonye said he had no comment. “I have told you all I know or am I in your law court to answer this?” he questioned.
Mrs Jalade-Ekeinde did not respond to mail and text messages sent to her contact at the time of this report.
