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Mr Sylvanus Mbachu, a retired secondary school principal, now a cement dealer in Owerri, Imo State, is the father to Ms Vine Chinazaekpere Mbachu, a Nigerian student who just rounded off her studies in medicine at Lugansk State Medical University, Ukraine. He spoke to Saturday Sun on his feelings about the Nigerian government’s response to the fate of Nigerians in Ukraine.
Are you satisfied with the Nigerian government’s reaction to our people in Ukraine?
They acted too late. It has been known for a long time that there might be war. But they didn’t give any decisive information to those students. My daughter said that they simply told them to register with them. And, for over two weeks after they did so, there was no decisive prompting for action for movement from the government when flights were still allowed until the whole place was shut down. Some of them had to walk a very long distance, several kilometres to cross over to Poland, with the exception of those who were lucky to get a taxi. Some of them had to walk for three days without food to get to the meeting point; some of them didn’t have the privilege to get a train or bus or whatever. But Ukrainians prepared their own people.
What do you think was the cause of the delay?
I wouldn’t know but I think Vladimir Putin’s false assurances fooled them. He kept assuring the US and the world that there was nothing to fear, that the Western Press was just warmongering, that there was nothing to worry about. His lies fooled everybody including my daughter and the Ukrainian government. They too kept telling their citizens and everybody that there was no cause for alarm and things like that, that they should remain calm.
Don’t you think that must have been the reason the Nigerian government also delayed in taking action?
Well, those who knew, who understand how Putin reasons and acts, like Britain and America, warned their citizens early enough to leave Ukraine. I think Nigerians believed Zelensky the President of Ukraine and thought that Putin can be trusted. Eventually, when the invasion happened, it took them by surprise, and they started taking panic measures. Nigerian government initially did not make any solid arrangement to evacuate our people. Poland didn’t allow flights to enter their airspace. To me, their reaction came a bit too late, but it is better than nothing.
You were in touch with your daughter, I believe, before they eventually came out of Ukraine. Could you describe for our readers their condition over there as narrated by her?
Initially, it was not easy. My daughter had a little advantage though because somebody later helped them with a car. The journey was too tedious. They had to trek for a long distance. They had no food and no water. Some didn’t take their bath. In fact, she told me that they were in the bush for two days. Then the place is cold. This is their winter. They lived on a few crusts of bread and little water. This happened when some people came over and gave them some water to drink and some biscuits and all those stuff. My daughter abandoned her iPad and many personal belongings because they left in a hurry. According to her, she had only three pieces of clothing with her. Her WASSCE certificate is still with them. They usually submit the original copies to the university. She had not retrieved it before this war started; she left without many personal items because it was a panic move. I wish the Nigerian government had taken that decision earlier or given a stern warning to people to start moving. This one they did now, sending Air Peace and Max Air, to go and get our people out is still okay but it came a bit late. I was even willing and ready to send my daughter some money to fly out of Ukraine and out of danger long before the invasion took place. But they deceived them that there would be no war, that Putin and his armed forces would not invade the country. All the same, the Federal government intervention is a welcome development. I am really, really grateful.
