The second batch of more than three hundred Nigerians Evacuees from South Africa arrived the country. This recent arrival brings the total of Evacuees so far to 502.
The aircraft conveying them landed at the Murtala Mohammed International airport Lagos at exactly 7.21pm.
The Federal Government says it is committed to ensuring that Nigerians being evacuated from South Africa because of the Xenophobic attacks are well taken care of.
Chairman, Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the senior special Assistants on diaspora matters to the Lagos and Ondo state governors, said state governments have responded to their calls to complement the Federal Government’s assistance to the returnees
“States are all encouraged to support their indigenes so we profile them according to states”.
Senior special Assistants to the Lagos and Ondo state governors on diaspora matters,Jamiu Sanwo-Olu and Mrs. Olaseinde Vincente said their respective governors have put measures in place to properly reintegrate the returnees.
The Lagos State at the venue distributed N20,000 each to the Evacuees in addition to the N10,000 provided by the Federal Government and sim cards.
“We are supporting them in form of allowance in form of cash for them to integrate properly”.” We are talking already with the micro-credit agency in Ondo state”.
The South African returnees expressed appreciation to the Federal Government and the management of the Airpeace airline.
They said they were happy to be back home while also narrating their ordeal in South Africa.
“It is a terrible thing because the way they kill Nigerians, am happy to be back home, Xenophobia started since 2018, south Africa did not know that Nigeria will evacuate its citizens”.
On the airlift of the next batch of Returnees Chairman of Airpeace, Chief Allen Onyema said this would depend on when the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa had completed all paper work relating to the airlift.
“The foreign affairs department has just informed me now that I should give them time to do about the people we have now and go back and make sure that the people that would be leaving are the right people not those coming for holidays”.
Xenophobia: FG Gives Update On 314 South Africa Returnees
Nairaland / 1 hour ago
The President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government has given an update on the status of the second batch of 314 South Africa returnees, Igbere TV News reports.
Igbere TV had reported on Thursday that 314 people arrived the country using Air Peace, barely one week after 177 Nigerians were airlifted by the company.
In a statement obtained by Igbere TV on Thursday, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said out of the 314 returnees, 199 were males, 108 females, while 98 were Minors.
She also said that the Commission had profiled all the returnees and written to the various state governments affected to help re-integrate and empower them.
She thanked Air Peace for airlifting the returnees; MTN, Airtel for supporting the returnees with data, airtime; and Bank of Industry (BOI) for providing them soft loans.
Dabiri-Erewa who revealed that Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu gave N20,000 each to the 314, called on Nigerians to support the returnees in their own little way.
Full Statement on the update of returnees on Wednesday
The Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa says the Second Batch of 314 Voluntary Nigerian Returnees from South Africa arrived Lagos safely onboard Air Peace airlines on Wednesday.
The Chairman NIDCOM, stated this while briefing the Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs in Abuja on Thursday.
Dabiri-Erewa informed the lawmakers that out of the 314) returnees, 199 are Males, 108 Females and 98 are Minors. The actual figure of those that arrived Nigeria were 314 while 5 Returnees had consular issues, and could not be airlifted.
The NIDCOM Chairman said that the Commission has profiled all the returnees and written to various State governments affected to help re-integrate and empower them effectively as a matter of urgency.
She told the Deputy Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora Sen. Ibrahim Oloriegbe who received NIDCOM Delegation, that the Returnees are in good health and grateful to President Buhari for his prompt directive that Nigerians willing to return voluntarily should be brought back.
They also expressed deep gratitude to the Chairman of Air Peace Airlines, Chief Allen Onyema, for a show of patriotism and brotherhood and thanked the Nigerian Consul General Mr Godwin Adama for effective coordination of the returnees.
The NIDCOM Chairman thanked Service providers MTN and Airtel for giving the returnees telephones and massive airtime, Bank of Industry for providing soft loans, NEMA for its services and financial support, LouisMed for providing medical checkup, and the Diaspora Innovation Institute for providing counseling and offer of entrepreneurship training, in partnership with the Centre for Management Development.
She further called on Nigerians to support the returnees, in any way they can, adding that the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo olu, gave N20,000 each to the second batch returnees.
She assured the Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs that the Commission will work.
