Only 500 out of over 2,000 Nigerians living in Lebanon have registered with the Nigerian Embassy in Beirut for evacuation as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalates.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Saturday, October 5, said despite the embassy’s efforts to encourage them to return home, many Nigerians remain hesitant to leave.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Presidency, National Emergency Management Agency, Department of State Services, National Intelligence Agency, Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, and other relevant bodies, is coordinating the evacuation exercise to ensure the safe return of Nigerians from Lebanon.

Our Embassy in Beirut has been issuing several advisories since the conflict started for our citizens to stay indoors and follow local authorities’ instructions as well as appeal to those who have not registered with the Embassy, to do so through Email: info@mfa.gov.ng.

Presently, about 500 Nigerians have registered with the mission, however, there are more than 2,000 Nigerian citizens residing in the country.

Even though most of them have not indicated a willingness to return home despite the persuasion by our embassy, we will continue to do everything to ensure the safety of our citizens.

The Ministry is pleased to report that no life has been lost. In view of the commendable efforts made by the Embassy, working in concert with the leadership of the Nigerian community to evacuate fellow Nigerians from southern Lebanon the epicenter of the conflict to Beirut, the Administration of President Tinubu is making arrangements to send a C-130 Aircraft or any other available flight for the evacuation exercise,” the statement reads.

Despite the devastation from Typhoon Yagi, Vietnam’s economy posted even better economic growth in the third quarter

Vietnam reported its strongest economic growth in two years in the quarter to the end of September, as strong exports and industrial production and rising foreign investment offset the effects last month of Asia’s strongest typhoon so far this year.

Gross domestic product grew 7.4 per cent year-on-year in the third quarter, surpassing the second quarter’s revised 7.09 per cent expansion, the government’s General Statistics Office said in a report.

Vietnam is a regional manufacturing hub for multinational corporations including Samsung Electronics and Apple suppliers Foxconn and Luxshare, and has drawn a steady influx of foreign investment.

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“The world economy is stabilising as global trade in goods improves, inflationary pressures ease, financial conditions continue to loosen and labour supply increases,” the statistics office said.

Data for September showed that exports rose 10.7 per cent from a year earlier while industrial production was up 10.8 per cent, it said.

Foreign investment inflows in the first nine months of this year rose 8.9 per cent from a year earlier to US$17.3 billion.

Northern Vietnam has been reeling from the impact a month ago of Typhoon Yagi, which killed more than 300 people, disrupted power supplies and halted industrial production. Authorities estimated property damage at US$3.3 billion.

S&P Global’s purchasing managers index (PMI) for Vietnam manufacturing fell to 47.3 in September from 52.4 in August, the biggest decline in the indicator of the sector’s health since November last year.

“The storm brought an end to a period of strong growth in the sector,” said Andrew Harker, director at S&P Global Market Intelligence. “Heavy rain and flooding caused temporary business closures and delays to both supply chains and production lines.”

Vietnam is targeting GDP growth of 6 per cent to 6.5 per cent this year and aims to keep inflation below 4.5 per cent.

Consumer prices in September rose 2.63% from a year earlier, the statistics office said in its Sunday report. Retail sales rose 7.6%.

For the first nine months of this year, exports rose 15.4 per cent from a year earlier to US$299.63 billion while imports were up 17.3 per cent at US$278.84 billion, for a trade surplus of US$20.79 billion, the office said.

The International Monetary Fund late last month forecast Vietnam’s GDP growth at 6.1 per cent this year, while the Asian Development Bank put it at 6 per cent.

This year’s growth is “supported by continued strong external demand, resilient foreign direct investment, and accommodative policies”, the IMF said in a report.

Both the IMF and the ADB, however, warned that geopolitical tensions and uncertainties could hurt external demand, Vietnam’s key growth driver.

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Nigerians to start applying and obtaining their passports in their homes.

Passports to be centrally issued from Abuja from April 2025

~ The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo