This archive report was first published on 19 September 2019.
On September 18, 2019, an Air Peace plane carrying 315 Nigerians landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, marking the second batch of citizens to return home from South Africa.
Just a week prior, 187 Nigerians had been repatriated, and with this latest arrival, the total number of returnees has now reached 502.
According to reports, 506 other Nigerians are still awaiting evacuation, having voluntarily expressed interest in returning to Nigeria.
As part of the repatriation efforts, the Lagos state government provided each returnee with a $55 stipend, courtesy of Mr. Jermaine Sanwo-Olu, the senior special assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Diaspora and Foreign Relations.
Mr. Sanwo-Olu also announced that the returnees from Lagos State would be transferred to the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), where they would receive training on various skills.
The repatriated Nigerians include those who had been stranded in South Africa due to financial difficulties and lack of proper documentation.
Notably, South Africa had apologized to Nigeria over the attacks, with South Africa's special envoy Jeff Radebe assuring President Muhammadu Buhari that the attacks on foreigners do not represent South Africa's 'value system, nor those of the larger number of South Africans.'
