We don’t need food but evacuation - Ghanaian students in China cry to govt

Ghanaian students in China are displeased with government’s refusal to evacuate them despite China being hard hit with coronavirus.

The Vice President of NUGS in the Wuhan Province, Michael Adney, in an interview with Joy News, said government must prioritize their evacuation and not food shipment.

“Our request from day one has been that we get evacuated from here [China] because it is a matter of life and death and not anything that has to do with food and drinks,” he said.

“We feel rejected because we don’t see the effort [shipment of food] of the government as support but as a means to keep us here [China]. The people who are to protect us have now rejected us. That is how we feel,” he stressed.

Though, Adney said food was an initial issue, the rising infection and death toll make them live in fear.

“As I speak to you now there have been more than 72,000 infections and over 2000 deaths recorded. Some universities are being converted into quarantine hospitals, so we want to be evacuated when none of us have been infected.”

Amidst the outbreak of the coronavirus, the government upon consultations has decided not to evacuate the Ghanaian students in China.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, said measures such as shipment of local food items among others are being executed to ensure that the students are comfortable.

Reacting to the “no evacuation” move by government, Adney said government is giving too many excuses.

“We are not okay, we are going through a lot of challenges – both mental and emotional- that is why we are saying we want to come home.”

He also suggested government could collaborate with other West African countries to carry out the evacuation exercise.