The federal government has said it would seek from its South African counterpart compensation for Nigerians forced to abandon businesses and other valuable properties as they returned home, following renewed anti-immigrant tensions in the country.
This came as 269 more Nigerians arrived Lagos in the third government’s evacuation flight, thus bringing the total number so far evacuated to 603.
This comprises the 268 airlifted by Air Peace on June 11 in the first batch; 66 evacuated by ValueJet on July 25 in the second batch; and the 268 brought home yesterday by Air Peace.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief as the evacuees touched down in Lagos yesterday, Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, Temitope Ajayi, said government had already begun compiling records of businesses and properties left behind by returnees.
He added that the information will form the basis of discussions with the South African authorities on possible compensation.
The envoy said: “In terms of the businesses, just three days ago, myself and the South African Deputy Minister of Finance were together and we were discussing this.
‘’I took up the discussion with her and we have agreed that we are going to ask our people who are returning to begin to document what they are leaving behind, and that was the message yesterday (Monday, June 29) before this set that is due to land in Lagos.
“I have asked them before they left yesterday to document very accurately those things they were leaving behind in terms of businesses, in terms of even cars, movable and immovable properties. We can now take it up with the South African government. That is the next step we are going to take.
“So, this repatriation will not end with just taking people to Nigeria; we are going to systematically follow up on the information given to us, and I told them to be very accurate with what they are going to give because we are going to work with the South African government to get to the exact locations of all these businesses, shops and properties and present them to the South African government for possible compensation because we will not allow the labour people have suffered to build over the years to just go down the drain or be taken over by people.’’
He reiterated his earlier stance that majority of Nigerians living in South Africa were legal residents, saying most of them entered the country through legal immigration channels.
According to him, delays in the processing of immigration documents by South Africa’s Home Office have left many foreign nationals stranded, despite having initially migrated legally.
“In the last three or four years, there have been a deluge of applications at the South African Home Office which were not attended to due to systemic issues.
‘’So, because of this, many, not only Nigerian nationals, were caught in this web of delay, so you cannot rightly claim that these were undocumented because most of them came to the country legally in terms of how somebody should migrate.
“So, it is on the basis of now wanting to renew their papers that they were caught up in the unnecessary delays. So, when people try to say they were undocumented, I quite disagree with that because some of them, based on experience, have had their papers lag behind at the Home Office for years”.
269 arrive Lagos in third govt evacuation flight
The latest evacuation of 269 Nigerians formed part of the five Air Peace flights approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to bring home Nigerians affected by the renewed xenophobic tensions in South Africa.
The approval followed the screening and clearance of more than 1,000 Nigerians by the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria.
The latest returnees were received by senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by the Director of African Affairs Department, Ambassador Haruna Ali Gombe, who conveyed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s greetings and reassured them of the federal government’s commitment to the safety and welfare of Nigerians living abroad.
In a statement yesterday, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Kimiebi Ebienfa, assured that the evacuation process would continued beyond June 30, adding that the federal government would continue to engage Pretoria to ensure the protection of Nigerians in the country.
He said: “With the June 30 deadline on undocumented foreigners to leave South Africa, the federal government wishes to reiterate the fact that the evacuation process is still on course and more flights are expected in the country in the next few days to evacuate all Nigerians that have been screened and cleared to voluntarily return to the country.
“Government will continue to engage South African authorities at the highest levels to ensure the protection of Nigerian nationals living in the country.”
while urging Nigerians still awaiting evacuation to remain calm and security conscious, Ebienfa said: “Be calm and security conscious. Avoid routes and areas dominated by protesters. Always be in contact with the Nigerian High Commission for necessary updates.”
