By Lateef Ibrahim
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) on Thursday welcomed the safe arrival of the first batch of 262 Nigerian nationals evacuated from South Africa.
On the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who approved and fully funded the Air Peace evacuation flight, the returnees were airlifted from OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, to Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
They touched down safely at approximately 10:15 a.m. and were received by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb Sola Enikanolaiye, and Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
Speaking at the reception, Hon Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of NIDCOM, commended President Tinubu’s swift intervention and the collaborative efforts of all agencies.
She said, “We are deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of our brothers and sisters in South Africa. President Tinubu has demonstrated exemplary leadership by ensuring that no Nigerian is left behind in times of distress.
“We stand ready to support these returnees as they resettle and rebuild their lives,” she stated.
The NIDCOM Chairman further announced that Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has approved NJ1,000,000 for each Imo State indigene among the returnees.
The MTN Nigeria donated N100,000 per returnee, to be transferred to their accounts.
The NIMC will fast-track the issuance of National Identity Numbers (NIN) to all evacuees.
The returnees, according to a statement Alhaji Abdulrahman Balogun, Director of Media and Protocol, of NIDCOM, are currently undergoing mandatory documentation and profiling at the airport.
NIDCOM urges Nigerians in the diaspora to remain law-abiding while the government engages South African authorities on the root causes of the tensions.
