The Federal Government on Tuesday assured Nigerian citizens residing in South Africa of their continued safety, promising sustained high-level diplomatic engagements with South African authorities to protect their interests.
Mr. Kimiebi Ebienfa, the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, gave the assurance in a statement issued in Abuja to mark the arrival of the third batch of Nigerian evacuees from Johannesburg.
The evacuation coincides with the June 30 deadline imposed by South African authorities for undocumented foreigners to exit the country.
According to Ebienfa, the second evacuation flight, operated by Air Peace, arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, at 10:48 a.m. on Tuesday with 269 returnees.
This brings the total number of recent evacuees to 335, following the June 24 repatriation of 66 Nigerians via South African Airways, which was facilitated by a private citizen.
The statement noted that the 269 returnees were escorted by officials from the Nigerian Mission in South Africa and received in Lagos by a federal delegation led by Amb. Haruna Ali-Gombe, Director of the African Affairs Department.
“Ali-Gombe conveyed the heartfelt greetings and assurances of President Bola Tinubu to the returning nationals, reaffirming the Federal Government’s steadfast commitment to ensuring the safety of Nigerian nationals living outside the country,’’ Ebienfa said.
The spokesperson added that the voluntary repatriation exercise remains on course, with more flights expected in the coming days to evacuate other successfully screened and cleared Nigerian nationals.
Officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) were on hand to receive the returnees.
The latest evacuation is part of the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to assist Nigerians who have voluntarily chosen to return home amid rising anti-immigration tensions in South Africa.
President Tinubu approved the voluntary evacuation programme earlier this month to enable Nigerians willing to leave South Africa to return home safely.
Earlier in June, the Federal Government disclosed that five Air Peace evacuation flights had been approved after more than 500 Nigerians were screened for repatriation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the flights were intended to ensure that all registered Nigerians who wished to return would be evacuated safely.
Before the latest operation, 328 Nigerians had already been repatriated in two batches. The first flight, which landed on June 11, brought back 262 returnees, while a second batch of 66 arrived in Lagos on June 25.
The evacuation exercise is being coordinated by the Federal Government in partnership with Air Peace and other relevant agencies.