Following the xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa, the Federal Government has announced that it will support Nigerians returning from the former Apartheid enclave with soft loans to enable them start small scale businesses.
This was disclosed on Wednesday by the chairman and CEO of the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-erewa, while receiving the 187 first batch of Nigerian returnees at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, a statement issued on Thursday by Gabriel Odu of the NIDCOM media unit, said.
Dabiri-erewa, led officials to receive the 187 Nigerian Returnees, who arrived at about 9.35 pm on Wednesday, September 11, on-board an Air Peace flight, even as she commended the Management of Air Peace for the kind gesture.
She said that a total of 187 Nigerians were evacuated, amongst whom over 30 were children. Meanwhile, about 317 were initially billed to return on the flight which experienced over 15 hours delay by the South African authorities, the statement added.
The development follows a directive from President Muhammadu Buhari to evacuate Nigerians in South Africa willing to return home due to renewed xenophobic uprisings.
The president gave the order after receiving the report of the special envoy whom he dispatched to South Africa over xenophobic attacks.
Dabiri-erewa told the Returnees that apart from transport stipend to convey them to their various destinations, for ease of communication, they are to receive SIM cards with N40,000 Naira worth of air time, plus 9GB of data valid for 2 months as well as a soft loan from the Bank of Industry to support those interested in small trade and businesses. A program of reintegration will also be put in place subsequently. Meanwhile, Officials of the bank of industry were also on hand to brief them.
