Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
A Nigerian lady who was offered for sale at $1,000 in Lebanon, Peace Busari, has refused to return to the country, the Nigerian Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), has said.
The Chairman of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, made this disclosure during an interaction with the Lebanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Houssan Diab, said the woman turned down all entreaties to return to Nigeria.
The Lebanese Ambassador had announced Thursday that his country has suspended issuing working visas to Nigerians seeking to work in Lebanon, particularly for domestic work.
Busari, 31 refused to heed the plea by her home state, Oyo to return home, saying she had secured another job and would prefer staying back in Lebanon.
Dabiri-Erewa said: “As for the young Nigerian lady that we were able to save, who was advertised for $1,000, the Ambassador has told us that the culprit is actually a resident in Lebanon. However, the lady is still with the mission. In fact, she has got another job. But the reality is that she said she does not want to come back and she said she has found another job.
“I spoke to her myself on the phone and I told her that if she gets into any trouble, there will be nobody to call. But she said she does not want to come back, that she has found another job.
“Even the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) of Oyo State, where she is from, spoke to her. We just hope that Nigerians going to work in Lebanon will be properly treated and not treated as slaves.
“As the ambassador said, the issue of work permit will be properly looked into. Agents are there collecting and making money and not seeing to the welfare of these people who are going to work.”
The Lebanese Ambassador said so far, the Lebanese government in collaboration with the Lebanese community in Nigeria had brought back 69 out of 79 Nigerians allegedly stranded back to the country.
He explained that the remaining 10 Nigerians, who would be transported home soon after the COVID-19 lockdown, have some pending legal cases and would be repatriated home once they are through with their cases.
He clarified that the Embassy and the Lebanese community paid over $150,000 USD to evacuate the 69 Nigerians and also paid for their 14 days quarantine,
Diab added that they were not in Lebanon illegally but were abused by their employers who also breached the working agreement and did not have money to bring them back.