The federal government has evacuated another 284 Nigerians from South Africa, the fifth flight overall in the ongoing repatriation effort, arriving at the Hajj and Cargo Terminal of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos late Thursday, where Nigeria Immigration Service officials documented the new arrivals.
Air Peace has now operated four of the five evacuation flights, bringing home a total of 1,085 Nigerians, 262 on June 11, 271 on June 30, 268 on July 3 and 284 on July 9, while ValueJet Airlines carried 66 Nigerians on June 24, pushing the overall total evacuated since the latest xenophobic crisis began to 1,151. In a statement, Air Peace confirmed it had completed the fourth phase of its humanitarian evacuation operation using a Boeing 777 200 wide body aircraft, describing the mission as reinforcing its continued commitment to supporting national emergency response through safe, seamless transport for Nigerians affected by the recent wave of xenophobic attacks. More than an airlift, the airline said, the ongoing evacuation reflects an enduring humanitarian philosophy rooted in compassion, patriotism and a commitment to ensuring Nigerians can always count on a safe way home in times of crisis, noting that since it began operating, Air Peace has undertaken more than sixteen evacuation and relief missions across Africa and beyond. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa said the latest group of returnees included 272 adults, 12 infants and two officials.
Reacting to the wave of repatriations, former Nigerian Ambassador to Japan Mohammed Gana Yisa, now Chairman of the African Democratic Congress Leaders Forum in Kwara State, said the crisis reflects successive governments’ failure to create opportunity for Nigerians at home, arguing that unbearable economic conditions are what is really driving citizens abroad in the first place. It is a shame that a country as endowed as Nigeria, 65 years after independence, now has its citizens being driven out of smaller and less endowed countries back home, he said, insisting the fault lies not with the host nations but with domestic policies that have failed to create opportunity, and citing Nigerians struggling to remain in Morocco, Cote d’Ivoire and South Africa despite those countries’ comparatively fewer resources as evidence of the scale of the problem. He urged the federal government to prioritise returning citizens’ welfare by creating jobs and implementing policies that make rebuilding a life in Nigeria realistic, arguing this can be done without further borrowing, which he said has become the government’s default response to every problem, while questioning the administration’s infrastructure priorities and arguing resources should flow instead toward programmes that directly improve citizens’ welfare. You cannot retaliate, he said, bring back your people and make provisions for them and they will stay, adding that many Nigerians abroad would willingly return given employment, security and an enabling environment. Yisa tied the crisis to his own party’s prospects in 2027, arguing that growing public dissatisfaction with the ruling party, layered onto insecurity and economic hardship, has strengthened the ADC’s position as a credible alternative, and expressed confidence Kwara State specifically offers the party a strong platform heading into next year’s elections.
