Envoy Reveals 500 Nigerians Are Waiting To Be Evacuated From South Africa

Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner to South Africa, Temitope Ajayi, has disclosed that about 500 Nigerians are still awaiting evacuation from the country despite the successful repatriation of 861 stranded citizens over the past three weeks.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Speaking on Friday, Ajayi said arrangements were already in place to bring the remaining Nigerians home.

“We still have about 500 Nigerians to evacuate, and the exercise is expected to continue next week,” he said.

The ongoing evacuation began on June 11, when 258 Nigerians returned to Lagos aboard an Air Peace flight. A second batch of 66 returnees arrived on June 24 via ValueJet, followed by 271 evacuees transported by Air Peace on June 30. The latest group of 266 Nigerians landed in Lagos on Friday.

FG Promises Support for Returnees

Welcoming the latest batch at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, the Director of Migration Affairs at the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Catherine Udida, assured the returnees of government support to help them rebuild their lives.

According to her, various government agencies have been mobilised to provide transportation, psychosocial care, skills training, and livelihood assistance.

She explained that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) would transport the returnees to their respective states or nearby destinations, while the NCFRMI would coordinate long-term reintegration programmes.

“Our responsibility is to provide durable solutions through livelihood support, vocational training, and psychosocial as well as mental health counselling to help them recover from the trauma they experienced,” Udida said.

She added that more than 1,000 Nigerians had already been profiled under the intervention programme and were receiving the necessary assistance.

Udida also disclosed that the Nigerian and South African governments had maintained continuous diplomatic engagements aimed at ensuring the safety and welfare of Nigerians still residing in South Africa.

Returnees Share Their Experiences

One of the evacuees, 21-year-old Fola Kester, said he had lived in South Africa since the age of four but was eventually forced to return after repeated efforts to obtain legal documentation failed.

Kester explained that although he completed his first year at university, he could not continue his education because he lacked valid immigration papers.

After exhausting all available legal options, including seeking help from lawyers and repeatedly contacting South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs, he decided to return to Nigeria.

“I couldn’t move forward with my life because I had no legal status or access to basic opportunities,” he said.

Another returnee, identified simply as Obi, alleged that many Nigerians experienced hostility while living in South Africa.

He claimed that Nigerians often faced discrimination because of their nationality and suggested that anti-foreigner sentiments tended to increase during election periods.

Despite his experience, Obi commended the Nigerian government for facilitating the evacuation and assisting stranded citizens to return home safely.