Photo credit: Legit News
Another batch of 66 stranded Nigerians has been evacuated from South Africa bringing the total number of citizens repatriated under the federal government’s emergency evacuation program to 324.
Business Day reports that the latest group arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Wednesday night, after President Bola Tinubu’s approval for the immediate evacuation of Nigerians facing difficulties in South Africa.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM)
According to the statement, the first batch of 258 returnees arrived in Nigeria on June 11, while the latest evacuation exercise added another 66 citizens to the growing number of Nigerians brought back home under the initiative.
The second evacuation operation was facilitated by Otunba Soname, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ValueJet Airlines, whose intervention was described as a humanitarian gesture aimed at supporting stranded compatriots.
The returnees received various forms of financial assistance and welfare support from government officials, private organizations and religious groups.
The evacuees from Imo State received 1 million naira each through the intervention of Governor Hope Uzodimma.
Telecommunications giant MTN also provided support packages to the returnees, including free SIM cards loaded with data valued at 50,000 naira, alongside an additional 100,000 naira to be credited directly into the bank accounts of each returnee.
Bolaji Idowu, Lead Pastor of Harvesters International Christian Centre also donated 100,000 naira to each of the evacuees as part of efforts to assist their integration into society.
