The President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government has given an update on the status of the second batch of 314 South Africa returnees, Igbere TV News reports.
Igbere TV had reported on Thursday that 314 people arrived the country using Air Peace, barely one week after 177 Nigerians were airlifted by the company.
In a statement obtained by Igbere TV on Thursday, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said out of the 314 returnees, 199 were males, 108 females, while 98 were Minors.
She also said that the Commission had profiled all the returnees and written to the various state governments affected to help re-integrate and empower them.
She thanked Air Peace for airlifting the returnees; MTN, Airtel for supporting the returnees with data, airtime; and Bank of Industry (BOI) for providing them soft loans.
Dabiri-Erewa who revealed that Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu gave N20,000 each to the 314, called on Nigerians to support the returnees in their own little way.
Full Statement;
PRESS RELEASE
UPDATE ON 2ND BATCH OF 314 NIGERIAN RETURNEES FROM SOUTH AFRICA.
The Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa says the Second Batch of 314 Voluntary Nigerian Returnees from South Africa arrived Lagos safely onboard Air Peace airlines on Wednesday.
The Chairman NIDCOM, stated this while briefing the Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs in Abuja on Thursday.
Dabiri-Erewa informed the lawmakers that out of the 314) returnees, 199 are Males, 108 Females and 98 are Minors. The actual figure of those that arrived Nigeria were 314 while 5 Returnees had consular issues, and could not be airlifted.
The NIDCOM Chairman said that the Commission has profiled all the returnees and written to various State governments affected to help re-integrate and empower them effectively as a matter of urgency.
She told the Deputy Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora Sen. Ibrahim Oloriegbe who received NIDCOM Delegation, that the Returnees are in good health and grateful to President Buhari for his prompt directive that Nigerians willing to return voluntarily should be brought back.
They also expressed deep gratitude to the Chairman of Air Peace Airlines, Chief Allen Onyema, for a show of patriotism and brotherhood and thanked the Nigerian Consul General Mr Godwin Adama for effective coordination of the returnees.
The NIDCOM Chairman thanked Service providers MTN and Airtel for giving the returnees telephones and massive airtime, Bank of Industry for providing soft loans, NEMA for its services and financial support, LouisMed for providing medical checkup, and the Diaspora Innovation Institute for providing counseling and offer of entrepreneurship training, in partnership with the Centre for Management Development.
She further called on Nigerians to support the returnees, in any way they can, adding that the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo olu, gave N20,000 each to the second batch returnees.
She assured the Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs that the Commission will work.
