Xenophobia: Over 300 Nigerians Register for Evacuation from South Africa

Ololade Adeyanju/

More than 300 Nigerians have registered for evacuation from South Africa following the approval given by the Federal Government that those interested in leaving should indicate interest and be airlifted home free.

The offer followed the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians living in the country.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ferdinand Nwonye, reportedly confirmed the figure yesterday, adding that the time and date of departure would be disclosed later.

The Chairman of Air Peace, Chief Allen Onyema, had volunteered an aircraft to evacuate Nigerians wishing to return home on account of the xenophobic attacks.

Nwonye had said in a statement: “The ministry wishes to inform the general public that following the recent unfortunate xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals, including Nigerians in South Africa, the proprietor of Air Peace Airlines, Chief Allen Onyema, has volunteered to send a plane from September 6 to evacuate Nigerians who wish to return to Nigeria free of charge.

“The general public is hereby advised to inform their relatives in South Africa to take advantage of this laudable gesture.”

Also in its bid to ensure the safety of Nigerians, the Foreign Affairs Ministry advised interested Nigerians to liaise with the High Commission of Nigeria in Pretoria and the Consulate-General of Nigeria in Johannesburg for further arrangements.

Nwonye stated: “They are collating the names and as at the last one hour (3.50pm), they have registered like 300 persons and the meeting of the special envoy is ongoing, the high commissioner is there with him.”

Meanwhile, the planned evacuation faced a setback on Friday as the majority of Nigerians interested in coming back home were said to have expired passports.

The Chairman of Air Peace, Onyema, said in a statement in Lagos that the airline had already placed its Boeing 777 aircraft on standby and was only awaiting the go-ahead from the government but that most of the potential returnees had yet to renew their documents.

His words: “The Air Peace flight to South Africa will take off from the Lagos Airport and also return to Lagos. As earlier stated, the take-off could be September 9 or 10.

“This is because the Nigerians in South Africa have to obtain travel certificates because many of them do not have travel documents and their passports have expired.”

But speaking on the provision of travel documents for those who did not have, Nwonye explained that the Nigerian High Commission would see to it.

Earlier, a member of the flight coordinating committee, comprising Nigerians living in South Africa, Mrs Ify Ezeano, disclosed that many of the intending returnees were on their way to Johannesburg from different parts of the country for the evacuation.

Ezeano said Nigerians wishing to return to Nigeria lamented that they felt unsafe and would rather leave the country, coupled with their accommodation challenges.

She said: “Some of them are already on their way to Johannesburg. People are disturbed and distressed. We have over 300 on the list but many others are still registering at the consulate.”

She further disclosed that a lot of Nigerians living in Western Cape, East London, Kwazulu natal and Cape Town had been calling to register, noting that some planned to come to the consulate in Jo’burg on Monday.

Her words: “A lot of people are showing interest and I’m not sure one flight would be able to convey all the people. Right now, I am at the consulate and we are trying to collate the list. People really want to leave to secure their lives.

“The challenges they are facing include accommodation. There is a woman coming from Port Elizabeth; she has been crying over accommodation issues.”

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