Xenophobia: Another batch of 315 Nigerians return from South Africa

• Widow’s with four children get scholarship
• FG plans to re-integrate returnees into society
• Air Peace crew return $42, 000 flight allowance
• How evacuation restored Nigeria’s dignity-Onyema

Another batch of returnees made up of 315 Nigerians arrived at 7.45pm through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos from South Africa.

This brings the total number of Nigerians evacuated from the Southern African country to 493. Alighting from Air Peace B777-300, many of them expressed thanks to the Federal Government and Air Peace for the quick intervention in bringing them, despite several millions of millions of naira lost to the rampaging South African marauders.

Immediately after their arrival, they offered free medical tests by Louis Medical Hospital to check their health status and to know if they were HIV positives. Tests showed that all of them tested for HIV tested negative but some who showed symptoms of malaria were referred to the hospital to be treated free of charge.

They were however referred to a desk where their passports were verified and stamped showing they were not deported but came home on their own volition.

Unlike the first batch that returned last week Wednesday, many of the returnees came back with their families, many of them children and infants.

Both the returnees and those waiting to receive them wept freely as the victims of xenophobic attacks in the former apartheid enclave recounted their horrific experiences.

Nigeria began repatriating more than 600 of its citizens from South Africa following a wave of deadly xenophobic attacks that frayed diplomatic relations with neighbouring nations.

Air Peace volunteered to fly people for free back to the commercial city of Lagos. The returnees, who expressed mixed emotions on their return, burst into tears as they alighted from the aircraft that flew them into Lagos.

They expressed their bitter experiences in the hands of South Africans.

Speaking to reporters, Chairman, Air Peace Airlines, Mr. Allen Onyema said a lot of them were happy to return home adding that he decided to come to the rescue to save Nigeria from embarrassment meted out to her by South Africa.

He said his decision to intervene in rescuing Nigerians from the country was borne out of genuine love and not to curry publicity. He said the 18 man Air Peace crew went for a rescue mission saying they spent over 24 hours to bring them back.

“When Capt. Egonu and his team came back, they rejected allowances of $42, 000 saying it was their own contribution to bring these Nigerians back. They said if their chairman could decide to do this job free of charge, they too said they want to learn to give back to the society. They had the money but they returned the money”.

He said the singular action has brought back respect to Nigeria. I can tell you that. It was a bad advertisement for South Africa.

“All over the world, people are talking about this evacuation. They said once Nigeria rise up to the act, they will be respected and we are now respected. It is not about Air Peace, it is about nationhood. The truth is that, without this non violent action that we engendered, Xenophobia will still be happening. That is the non-violence we have engendered by doing this. If not, nobody would have come here to apologise to Nigeria. This evacuation is a bad signal to any country. That was why they wanted to stop us from evacuating because flights are now going back empty to South Africa.”

Onyema stated that tourists are now shunning South Africa because of Xenophobia, asking question why South Africa degenerated to the situation where fellow Africans are killed, commending Federal Government for the strong support given to his carrier to rescue her trapped citizens in the country.

“We brought 315 today. The Foreign Affairs Ministry has just informed me now that we should give them time to profile the people we have now and make sure that the next people that are coming are the right people who need to come and not people who are coming for holiday. As far as there are Nigerians remaining to be evacuated, Air Peace will fly its equipment there free of charge”, Onyema added.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri Erewa told Woleshadarenews that the Federal Government decided to assist the returnees especially the skilled ones palliative for now until they are assisted by their state governments.

“What we did immediately they landed was to give them data and air time and cash that would last them for some time. We have appealed to kind hearted Nigerians to support them. Their only crime is that they are Nigerians. States are also encouraged to support their citizens. We have profiled them according to their states and they have been responding as we have been communicating with them. Bank of Industry has reached out to them to empower them to know exactly what they want to do. There is adequate arrangement for all of them. There is a widow with four children. There is scholarship coming for the children and I am sure they are glad to be home”.

Disbursement of funds NEMA gave them N10k, MTN N90k, Lagos State N20k each.

“We are getting offers from NGOs. Everybody will be settled. The children will go to school. State governors are responding. What each has is not too much to take care of them. They are happy to be home. It is going to be a gradual process of resettling them. We have somebody here who is already talking to them about entrepreneurship.  We will reach out to them to find out how they are doing”.

Wole Shadare