Ambode steps in to fly 50 stranded Nigerian football fans back home from Russia

GOVERNOR Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has rescued 50 Nigerian football fans who were stranded in Moscow after the travel agent who they paid to fly them to watch the World Cup left them without return tickets.

Over the last week, it has emerged that hundreds of Nigerian football fans have been left stranded in Russia unable to return home having being sold false travel packages that involved their return plane tickets being cancelled by bogus travel agencies that booked them. Apparently, fraudsters tricked hundreds of fans by selling them bogus World Cup fan passes but the return tickets were not honoured, making it impossible for them to leave.

Stranded and penniless, some of these fans used the official Fan IDs to come to Russia with the promise of finding work or even playing professional football themselves. In response to their plight, Governor Ambode stepped in, promising to fly them back home as the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said it could not come to their assistance.

The post read in part: “I had a pick-up arrangement today at the airport in Moscow and had a rare privilege of meeting the Governor of Lagos State, the most populous and commercial Hub of Nigeria.

One eyewitness said: "As soon as we came out of the airport, I saw a crowd of over 50 Nigerians who had been stranded at the airport for between 10 and 15 days now. Then, Ambode did something that amazed me as he showed solidarity and quickly pledged to send all 50 stranded Nigerians home and assigned me to oversee the transfers and procurement of new tickets.

“I am only writing this to express my gratitude to a man that has shown that not all politicians are the same. I am well aware that NFF officials and some other senior government or well to do Nigerians are aware of the situation on ground but are yet to be of help.”

He confirmed that 19 out of this 50 are already on their way to Lagos and the remaining 31 are leaving this evening. Governor Ambode also fed them all as he gave them cash to eat while they waited for their tickets to fly home.