The Federal Government has announced the commencement of free evacuation for Nigerians affected by recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
Officials confirmed that over 1,000 citizens have registered for repatriation and will no longer be required to bear the cost of their return flights.This development follows a wave of violent xenophobic incidents in South Africa, which targeted nationals of several African countries, including Nigeria.
Earlier, the government disclosed that about 300 Nigerians had initially expressed interest in returning home, with plans for the returnees to personally fund their flights. The new arrangement marks a shift in policy, ensuring that affected citizens are brought back safely at no cost.
However, on Saturday, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, announced that evacuees would no longer bear the cost of transportation.
Mr Ebienfa told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview that the Federal Government would deploy aircraft to bring the returnees home at no cost to them.
According to him, the screening of Nigerians in South Africa who registered for evacuation was expected to conclude on Saturday.
“The process, which commenced on June 4, is a joint exercise involving the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation, as well as the South African Police and immigration authorities,” NAN quoted Mr Ebienfa as saying.
“At the end of the screening, we will have a definite number of persons cleared for evacuation.
“Thereafter, we will finalise arrangements for the deployment of aircraft to bring them home,” he added.
In a separate interview with NAN, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said more than 1,000 Nigerians in South Africa had undergone screening for the voluntary repatriation exercise.
Mrs Dabiri-Erewa said the screening was being conducted jointly by the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria and South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs.
According to her, Saturday marked the third day of the exercise for Nigerians intending to voluntarily return home.
“The turnout at the High Commission of Nigeria in Pretoria has been truly impressive.
“The screening started early on Saturday, and Nigerians came out in large numbers to participate in the process.
“In spite of the emotional atmosphere surrounding the prevailing tensions and uncertainty, the exercise has been smooth, peaceful, organised, and highly professional under the supervision of Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner, Ambassador Olatunde Ajayi.
“More than 1,000 Nigerians have registered for the voluntary evacuation, and many more are still registering,” she said.
Mrs Dabiri-Erewa also disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had approved funding for the evacuation flights.
“All things being equal, the flights are expected to commence next week through Air Peace, as President Bola Tinubu has approved funds for that purpose,” she said.
She noted that five flights have been scheduled for the repatriation exercise, with the first batch of evacuees expected to depart for Nigeria next week.Nigeria is not alone in this effort.
Ghana has already evacuated more than 300 of its citizens following the latest wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa, which began over a month ago.
