Nigerians Returning from South Africa on Thursday, Says Government

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that Nigerians coming back from South Africa will land in Lagos on Thursday.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, shared this information in a statement on Tuesday. He mentioned that the Nigerians will leave from Oliver Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Wednesday night. They are expected to arrive at Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos by 5 a.m. on Thursday.

“The evacuation operation will be handled by Air Peace Airlines. The Federal Government of Nigeria has fully funded the evacuation exercise; therefore, all affected Nigerians will be brought back at no cost to them,” Mr Ebienfa said.

According to reports, the Nigerian government plans to bring back around 1,000 Nigerians from South Africa. This state has one of the largest groups of evacuees. Ghana also recently evacuated 1,000 Ghanaians from South Africa.

Reasons Behind the Evacuations

Xenophobic tensions and violence in Pretoria have led at least five African countries to repatriate their citizens living in South Africa. Several nations, including Nigeria, Ghana, Lesotho, Kenya, and Zimbabwe, have at different times warned their citizens to be careful or to avoid non-essential travel to any city in South Africa.

Nigeria had originally planned to evacuate its citizens on Monday but had to push it back due to “unforeseen issues.”

Reports indicate that the federal government is considering possible retaliatory actions against South Africa. This is because of the country's lack of response to the violence against Nigerians and other African foreigners.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, stated that the South African government was “not doing enough” to tackle the long-standing xenophobia.

The minister expressed that Nigeria was “unhappy” with South Africa. “This is a situation that we are considering, but it is up to our legislature,” she said. “It is a decision that has to be taken at the highest level of government, but it’s not off the table.”