Nigerians Will Not Pay for Repatriation from South Africa

Nigerians Will Not Pay for Repatriation from South Africa — FG

The Federal Government says Nigerians returning from South Africa under the voluntary evacuation programme will not pay transport costs, as screening concludes and arrangements begin for government-funded evacuation flights.

The Federal Government has assured Nigerians participating in the ongoing voluntary evacuation programme from South Africa that they will not bear any cost for their return to the country.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, disclosed this in a telephone interview with journalists on Saturday, stating that the government would provide aircraft to transport the evacuees back to Nigeria.

According to him, the screening exercise for Nigerians who registered for the evacuation programme is expected to conclude on Saturday. He explained that the exercise, which began on June 4, is being jointly conducted by the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, as well as South African police and immigration authorities.

Ebienfa said the screening process is aimed at determining the exact number of Nigerians eligible for evacuation before final arrangements are made for their return.

“The process, which commenced on June 4, is a joint exercise involving the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation, as well as the South African Police and immigration authorities.

“At the end of the screening, we will have a definite number of persons cleared for evacuation. Thereafter, we will finalise arrangements for the deployment of aircraft to bring them home,” he said.

The development comes as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to repatriate Nigerians who have expressed interest in returning home under a voluntary evacuation programme.

The initiative follows growing concerns over the safety of foreign nationals in South Africa amid recent anti-immigrant protests reported in some parts of the country.

Nigerian authorities have maintained that the evacuation exercise is designed to ensure the safety and welfare of citizens affected by the situation, while providing them with a secure means of returning home.