The Federal Government has successfully evacuated another 66 Nigerians from South Africa, continuing efforts to bring home citizens affected by the recent wave of xenophobic violence in the country.
The evacuees, who make up the second batch of returnees, landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, around 8:50 p.m. on Wednesday.
Their return followed President Bola Tinubu’s approval of an evacuation programme aimed at assisting Nigerians caught up in the renewed attacks targeting foreign nationals in South Africa.
The latest group arrived weeks after the first batch of 258 Nigerians was airlifted back to the country on June 11 through a chartered Air Peace flight.
Speaking with Vanguard on Thursday, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Kimiebi Ebienfa, confirmed that 66 Nigerians were repatriated during the second phase of the operation.
Also commenting on the exercise, the head of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission Lagos Office, Mr Dipo Onabowale, disclosed that the evacuation flight was sponsored by the chairman and chief executive officer of ValueJet, Mr Kunle Soname.
He added that officials of the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa accompanied the returnees on the journey home.
Representing the NiDCOM chairman, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Onabowale praised President Tinubu for authorising the evacuation mission.
He further stated that issues encountered during the first phase of the operation were receiving attention from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to him, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mrs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu has assured that all registered Nigerians willing to return from South Africa will be evacuated.
As part of measures to support the returnees, NiDCOM announced several welfare packages.
The commission revealed that evacuees from Imo State would receive N1 million each from Governor Hope Uzodimma.
It also disclosed that MTN Nigeria distributed free SIM cards and data worth N50,000, while each returnee received N100,000 directly into their bank accounts.
In addition, the founder of Harvesters International Christian Centre, Pastor Bolaji Idowu, donated N100,000 to each of the evacuees.
The returnees expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for approving the evacuation exercise and ensuring their safe return to Nigeria.
They also appreciated Soname, Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa Ambassador Temitope Ajayi, NiDCOM Chairman Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and other individuals who contributed to the success of the exercise.
Officials from 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 present at the airport to receive and document the returnees.
