As the Air Peace aircraft that brought the first batch of 188 Nigerian returnees from South Africa, landed at the tarmac of the Muritala Mohammed International Airport , Lagos, Wednesday night, the returnees were welcomed into the warmth arms of some government officials and relatives, amidst different expressions on their faces.


Six hundred others who willingly decided to return home, in order to escape the xenophobic attacks in South Africa, are still awaiting their turn to board the next available flight.


But with a record of over 30,000 Nigerians living in South Africa, one would have expected the number of returnees to be more that 688.
Investigation by Saturday Vanguard on why the number of voluntary returnees is low, showed that most Nigerians are still weighing the option. Meanwhile, back in South Africa, foreign nationals among who are Nigerians, are still locked indoors for fear of further attacks, with their work places still a shadow of what they used to be.

In a telephone conversation with some of them in different provinces, they blamed the economic condition back home in Nigeria, as the major reason they are reluctant to return.

One of them, Ferdnard Ikechukwu , who was asked why he did not use the opportunity of the free flight back to Nigeria, said, “ Come to Nigeria to do what? Is the situation there better than what we have here? Are Boko Haram not killing people at will? Are there no militia groups who take laws into their hands and waste innocent lives in Nigeria? What about all the killings back home by bandits, herdsmen kidnappers? What has the government done to address them?
“ Besides, will government give me job? Will I return and fold my hands watching my aged parents feed me , my wife and children? I will rather remain here and pray for God’s protection”.




Electricity

Another Nigerian, Osasoyen Idemia, said “ Government is saying we should come home when there are no plans on ground for us. If the Nigerian government will address the issue of electricity, about 75% of Nigerians in South Africa will return home because our work needs unhindered electricity supply. If there is constant electricity supply in Nigeria, Nigerians who have invested here in South Africa will return home. This is an essential need government must address”.

On his part, Mr Uche Ozioma, said, “ It is not as if I do not want to return home. But I have already established a business here. I have been here for 20 years and I have branches in seven provinces. I have four children, all graduates. Two of them are married to South Africans. I go home (Nigeria ) every December to spend Christmas with my parents and relatives. Tell me, if I leave here, where would I start from ?”

Another Nigerian Edome Asemota , said, “ I can’t leave because there is no hope for me back home. I came into South Africa, three years ago, having spent five years in Nigeria without a job. I did all kinds of menial jobs to eke a living, while in Nigeria, yet , I could not rent one-room apartment. Besides, pressure was on me to get married because I am an only child.



“My course mate back in the university invited me to South Africa three years ago. I started as a sales boy in a car mart in Malvern , a suburb of Johannesburg. I also help people wash cars. At least I could save reasonable amount. The only problem here is the xenophobic attacks. My prayer is that God will spare my life”.

Cause of attacks

Also, an auto parts dealer, who simply gave his name as Dino, attributed the cause of the attacks on Nigerians and nationals from other African countries to what he described as lackadaisical attitude of the South African Government to checkmate excesses of the perpetrators of the attacks.

Dino said, “ The attacks are perpetrated by youths who live in hostels. These hostels are in Hillbrow, Malvern, Orlando and almost all the provinces. They are homes provided by government to jobless people. Aside this, they are paid monthly.

“Those living in the homes are being used by some government officials to distort the country. They target foreign nationals because that is the only way to gain international attention. They launch attack any time they want money from government. By the time they get the money, the whole place will be calm.
“ There has been call to scrap these hostels and give these people jobs. But they are not ready to work because they are used to getting free money. Claims that South African women go after men from other countries and abandon their men is not false. Their women accuse their men of not spending much on them as men from other countries do.
“ At the moment , everyone is indoors. Fortunately, the ongoing crisis is not only affecting Nigerians and other foreign nationals. It is also affecting South Africans because some of them owned the burnt shops we rented for our businesses. Also some buildings that were destroyed are owned by South Africans.

For instance, I have three South Africans as employees. Like me, they have not reported to work since last Monday’s attack. The solution is not in Nigerians or other African countries nationals leaving South Africa. It is left in the hands of the South African government to address activities of these hostel boys”.


https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/09/xenophobic-rage-why-we-dont-want-to-return-home/

We have very weak leaders in Nigeria. Very incompetent team of people parading themselves as leaders.

Eiya. Well, SA government has demonstrated that they can't/are unwilling to secure the lives and property of foreigners in SA, therefore any Nigerian still insisting on remaining in SA in spite of recent xenophobic attacks is free to die there. RIP to them in advance. Something must kill a man, right?

Coming back to do what exactly??

Your problem. Stay there..

Another Nigerian, Osasoyen Idemia, said “ Government is saying we should come home when there are no plans on ground for us. If the Nigerian government will address the issue of electricity, about 75% of Nigerians in South Africa will return home because our work needs unhindered electricity supply. If there is constant electricity supply in Nigeria, Nigerians who have invested here in South Africa will return home. This is an essential need government must address”.

Drops PEN Osasoyen! You have said it all and the government knows this though

Check our signature while at it, some are us are trying to eke a living here regardless

If making a living in Nigeria isn't certain, Just stay where you are.
Some of us are even planning to come to SA

it's really hard to leave all you ve built and start all over. I understand.

definitely those that have no mission will return. You can't expect those with good investment to just wake up and returned home.

Na una sabi

They should move to Botswana...
I dunno know but anywhere is better than this shithole

if electricity issue can be addressed. 80% of nigerians abroad will return home.

“ The attacks are perpetrated by youths who live in hostels. These hostels are in Hillbrow, Malvern, Orlando and almost all the provinces. They are homes provided by government to jobless people. Aside this, they are paid monthly.Those living in the homes are being used by some government officials to distort the country. They target foreign nationals because that is the only way to gain international attention. They launch attack any time they want money from government. By the time they get the money, the whole place will be calm."

The whole article is informative. But the above excerpt gets you thinking. Are politicians cursed? why are they the same everywhere? Why do they let their greed affect the countries they are sworn to protect?

They better weight their option properly. Come back home face Nigeria hardship or stay there and have the uncertainty of not knowing when you will be attack. I feel sorry for them though. It's like being between the lion and the deep blue sea.

nigeria is a casted country.

The gods are watching...

Then you guys should stop crying wolf anytime a south African raises a gun/knife...

The situation of Nigeria as a country can make one lose hope in everything if care is not taken. Should they come back and be experiencing "Government of some people, by some people and for some people" that the people on ground are experiencing. The real dividends of this nonsense democracy are actually meant for not even few people but "mini-few" of the people.

Security, nehi.
Job, nehi.
Electricity, nehi.
Admission to higher Institutions, hell and nehi.
Good amenities of life, nehi.
Herdsmen attack, e dey.
Frustration, e dey
Kidnapping, e dey.
Banditry, e dey.

When you view the natural resources ( human and non human) that we are blessed with in this country, I see no reason why this country should not be great, but it is otherwise.

In Michael Jackson's voice, " ...all I really wanna say is that, they don't really care about us".

If Den Kill You Then, RIP To You

Honestly, coming to Nigeria is never a positive solution for those who got nothing at home. Nigeria is the most difficult place to survive as a returnee

Electricity - if government can get this one thing fixed, several other things will resolve themselves, Nigerians are not lazy people.

Lizilicious:
They should move to Botswana...
I dunno know but anywhere is better than this shithole

Nigerians like this word " shhthole". Do you guys see the irony of using this term?lol

They are right sha,where will they start from if they come back?,but if you die how u go take manage the business and family wey u no won leave..God help us o,na under -developement dey cause this mata

godquality:
They better weight their option properly. Come back home face Nigeria hardship or stay there and have the uncertainty of not knowing when you will be attack. I feel sorry for them though. It's like being between the lion and the deep blue sea.

Is the uncertainty of not knowing when to be attacked worst here plus the hardship??

Herdsmen,book Haram, militia group even the govt itself is a terrorist group

The West is becoming desolate. The East, Middle Belt and the North is desolate. If we all hold our State Governors accountable, so that the budgets are spent judiciously on infrastructural development, we'll get somewhere. We should not keep calling on the FGN while the Governors are smiling to the banks.

Kuku die there jareh


But when Southy descend on you again, abeg, no call us