The second batch of Nigerians repatriated from South Africa have arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
The 66 returnees touched down at about 8:50 p.m. on Wednesday as part of the federal government’s ongoing evacuation exercise approved by President Bola Tinubu following the latest xenophobic violence in South Africa.
On June 11, the first batch of 258 evacuees arrived in the country aboard a chartered Air Peace flight.
Dipo Onabowale, head of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) in Lagos, said the latest evacuation was facilitated by Kunle Soname, chairman and chief executive officer of ValueJet, with officials of the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa accompanying the returnees.
Onabowale, who spoke on behalf of Abike Dabiri-Erewa, NiDCOM chairman, commended Tinubu for approving the evacuation.
Onabowale said logistical challenges encountered during the first evacuation exercise are being addressed by the ministry of foreign affairs.
He added that Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, minister of foreign affairs, has assured that all registered Nigerians in South Africa would be evacuated.
NiDCOM also announced support packages for the returnees, with indigenes of Imo State receiving N1 million each from Hope Uzodimma, governor of the state.
The commission added that MTN Nigeria provided free SIM cards, data worth N50,000, and credited N100,000 to each returnee’s bank account.
Bolaji Idowu, founder of Harvesters International Christian Centre, also donated N100,000 to each of the evacuees.
The evacuees expressed appreciation to Tinubu for approving the exercise and facilitating their return.
They also thanked Soname, Temitope Ajayi, acting Nigerian high commissioner to South Africa, Dabiri-Erewa, and other donors for their support.
Security agencies at the airport to receive and document the returnees included officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), among others.