The Federal Government has evacuated another 66 Nigerians from South Africa as part of efforts to bring home citizens affected by the recent wave of xenophobic attacks in the country.
The returnees, who make up the second batch of evacuees, arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, at about 8:50 p.m. on Wednesday.
Their arrival followed the earlier evacuation of 258 Nigerians, who returned to the country on June 11 aboard a chartered Air Peace flight after renewed anti-foreigner attacks in South Africa.
Confirming the development, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the latest group of 66 Nigerians was successfully repatriated during the second phase of the evacuation exercise.
The Head of the Lagos Liaison Office of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Dipo Onabowale, disclosed that the evacuation flight was facilitated by the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ValueJet, Kunle Soname, while officials of the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa accompanied the returnees back to Nigeria.
Speaking on behalf of the Chairman of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Onabowale commended President Bola Tinubu for approving the evacuation exercise in response to the renewed xenophobic attacks.
He explained that logistical challenges encountered during the initial phase of the operation were being addressed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to him, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has assured that every Nigerian who registered and indicated willingness to return home would be evacuated.
As part of efforts to support the returnees, NiDCOM announced that evacuees from Imo State would receive N1 million each from Governor Hope Uzodimma.
The commission also disclosed that MTN Nigeria provided each returnee with a free SIM card and N50,000 worth of data, while N100,000 was credited into the bank account of every evacuee.
Similarly, the Founder of Harvesters International Christian Centre, Pastor Bolaji Idowu, donated N100,000 to each of the returnees to assist with their reintegration.
The evacuees expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for facilitating their safe return and also thanked Soname, Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, Ambassador Temitope Ajayi, NiDCOM Chairman Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and other individuals who contributed to the success of the evacuation exercise.
Officials of the National Emergency Management Agency, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, and other security agencies were on ground at the Lagos airport to receive and profile the returnees.
