Governor Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State
on Wednesday gave N20,000 to each of the second batch of 315 Nigerians
evacuated from South Africa.
The fresh batch of returnees
arrived a week after another 187 Nigerians fleeing xenophobia came back from
South Africa.
The joyous returnees arrived at
the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at about
7.21p.m aboard an Air Peace B777 aircraft with registration number 5N-BWI.
The flight, which originated from
the OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg was received by Mrs Abike
Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and Air Peace
Chairman, Mr Allen Onyema.
Also on ground was Mr Jermaine
Sanwo-Olu, Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Diaspora.
Presenting the token on behalf of
Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Mr Jermaine Sanwo-Olu said that the money was a
palliative for the returnees.
Sanwo-Olu said that the returnees
from Lagos State would be transferred to the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund
(LSETF), where they would be trained on skill acquisition.
Dabiri-Erewa told newsmen that
the returnees would be profiled according to their states and local governments
of origin to complement the federal government’s effort in reintegrating them.
She said apart from giving the
returnees stipends to get back to their respective states, there was also a
medical team on ground to provide assistance to those with medical conditions.
Dabiri-Erewa also noted that the
Nigeria High Commission was working with the South African authorities to
reduce the unnecessary delays which had so far characterised the evacuation
exercise.
On his part, Onyema told newsmen
that some Nigerians were stranded in South Africa for over four years and could
not return home due to financial difficulties and lack of proper documentation.
He said: “What Air Peace is doing
to freely evacuate Nigerians from South Africa is part of our support to the
President Muhammadu Buhari administration and we are doing it wholeheartedly.
“The airline is only asking the
government to do what it has been doing to facilitate the smooth return of the
Nigerians.
“We are not asking for any refund
because we knew that the cost of evacuating the Nigerians will exceed N300
million at the end of the day.
“We are so happy that even our
pilots and crew that went to South Africa refused to take their allowances
saying that it is their own way of showing patriotism,” Onyema said.
He commended the Nigerian
government for the matured diplomatic way it was handling the xenophobia issue
with its South African counterpart and called on other well-meaning Nigerians
to assist in the resettlement of the returnees.
One of the returnees, Chuks Okoma
from Delta State, thanked God for sparing his life considering the ordeal faced
by Nigerians in South Africa.
Okoma said that he had been in
South Africa for six years without a job and sleeping in the street.
Another returnee, Michael Udoh,
narrated how some foreigners were burnt in South Africa, adding that they were
unable to move around.
Udoh, who had been in South
Africa for six years, said that the country refused to renew his work permit
after it expired, thus making him jobless
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