Hope Uzodimma, governor of Imo, has reportedly approved a cash grant of N1 million each for all Imo indigenes who have been repatriated from South Africa.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora
Commission (NiDCOM), announced the governor’s intervention on Thursday while
receiving the first batch of repatriated citizens at the Murtala Muhammed
International Airport, Lagos.
The returnees, comprising men, women, and children, are the
first among more than 1,000 Nigerians who registered for voluntary evacuation
following weeks of xenophobic attacks and anti-immigrant violence in parts of
South Africa.
Dabiri-Erewa said NiDCOM has coordinated integration plans
for the returned citizens and would continue to ensure more people-to-people
coordination.
“We’re excited that the president made this happen. And, of
course, there’s multi-agency collaboration, each with their own goals,” she
said.
“On our part at NiDCOM, we’ve been able to get them private
sector collaboration: MTN is giving them N100,000 each, N50,000 airtime; NEMA
is providing transportation to their various bases; Governor Home Uzodinma is
giving each of his citizens a million naira each.
And I hope all governors
will do the same because they need to be reintegrated and they need to be happy
to be back home.”
Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said four more repatriation flights are expected to return Nigerians
who have expressed interest in leaving South Africa.
Ebienfa said the screening exercise has also been extended
to Sunday to give more Nigerians the opportunity to be able to return.
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