₦airaland Forum

First batch of Nigerians repatriated from South Africa to arrive Lagos Thursday, says FG

The first batch of Nigerians to be repatriated from South Africa following the xenophobic attacks will arrive at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos on Thursday morning.

In a statement on Tuesday, Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson of the ministry of foreign affairs, pegged the flight’s expected time of arrival at 5am.

The flight, operated by Air Peace, will depart the Oliver Thambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Wednesday night, the statement said.

Ebienfa noted that the federal government has fully funded the repatriation exercise and has put in place the necessary reception and support arrangements for the returnees.


“Upon arrival, the evacuees will undergo documentation and profiling procedures and will receive the appropriate assistance and support before being reunited with their families,” the statement added.

The repatriation flight, initially scheduled for Monday, was later moved to Wednesday over what Ebienfa described as “unforeseen logistical considerations”.


Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, minister of foreign affairs, later said the flights were delayed to complete documentation and screening in cooperation with South African authorities.

Over 1,000 Nigerians in South Africa were said to have partaken in the screening exercise but Odumegwu-Ojukwu said “the figures keep increasing”.

Nigeria’s high commission in Pretoria said it had “negotiated waivers with host authorities” so that those with “immigration-related offences” would be allowed to leave on the eventual repatriation flights rather than be detained.

At least 270 Nigerians are expected to comprise the first batch.

The evacuation is being conducted with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other government agencies.

adamusuleiman3:
Gaskiya.

chopnaira:
Na flog dem go flog you ooo mr Gumi. People dey vex

CyynthiaKiss:
South west is on fire..

I warned my people

Greattha:
Hope soldiers go retaliate like they would if the killing was done by a civilian

femi4:
They are getting closer to Lagos

WizardOfNG:
Just show one post where I "shout 1 NIGERIA". The main problem of Nigeria is that we do not wish to accept we are very different and wrongly lumbered together by Lugard and the Brits.

I am a fan of a return of Nigeria to regionally autonomous governance.

Finally, what wealth is the SW "annexing"? Do you know how much wealth the region creates independently? Look, read and learn to.speak based on verified facts. Not what others tell you.

WizardOfNG:
How is Tinubu a "criminal" as you claim? Also, I don't believe you truly understand Nigeria and her complexities leaders have to navigate.

Tinubu means well for all Nigerians. That is a fact. Yes I can agree Nigerians are not having it easy today and that bothers me.

Yet it cannot be any other way because of what many previous leaders have failed to do for decades creating institutional and entrenched socio-economic decay that will need at least 20 years of reforms to turn around.

You are a stubborn boy sha so I don't expect you to see my point.

WizardOfNG:
Lol. I see you are being more polite in talk. At least some sign of progress. Maybe you are not beyond redemption.

Nigeria's main problems revolve around how we failed to do what we must for decades. The rot has become grave and deeply entrenched. .

We then expect it can be reversed overnight. It took Singapore, a former colony of the UK as we are, around 30 years of reform to become the developed nations she is today.

British folks are even moving to Singapore for better lives.

Personally, I mean well for all Nigerians, potentially great nation full of wonderful people, but we should also be reasonable enough, as adults, to familiarise ourselves with the nature of our main problems so we appreciate the solutions..

alanto:
As na Una employ am. Don't change your evil ways o. Continue blaming those bring your dark evil to light hoping it will go away.

Tooreda:
Where you wan put RENO OMOCKERY?

MadPolitician:
It is about time igbos as a group rise up in unison and call for the sack of that senile loudmouth.
He has done enough damage..

WizardOfNG:
I keep advising you to develop your critical thinking yet you never listen. Oil and gas must be utilised well but human resources, that can create solutions, defines life.

Anyone still unintelligently shouting oil and gas is simply at a rudimentary level of understanding what life is about.

I have always supported Niger Delta, feeding our nation, to get more from their oil and gas because I know the rest of Nigeria must regain the discipline and focus that made our definitive political leaders of old achieve so much before oil and gas wealth arrived.

With Cocoa wealth, Awolowo did so much to the extent modern day politicians should hang their head in shame.

Oil and gas wealth has been a curse to us and it is only your sort who do not understand that. We must try and return to a time Nigerians tried to be innovative and create solutions from what everyone has instead of the entire nation focusing on oil and gas wealth alone.

We created a mono-economy around crude oil. That's the main reason Nigeria is messed up today.

You all claim to have uni degrees and even Masters. How difficult is it for you all to understand we need to create a brain economy instead of you all focusing on and bragging about mineral endowment alone?

The quality and solutions-provision capacity of human resources is what matters most per the capacity of a nation to become rich and developed.

WizardOfNG:
Small boy, listen and learn. Life is about winning and being fulfilled. Not beefing and fighting others as you have been indoctrinated to believe.

WizardOfNG:
Some great points. All developed nations have energy transition plans some felt they could reach by 2030 in their search for less reliance on fossil fuel.

Including the UK I've lived most of my life in. Yet, they have had to push dates forwards decades towards 2050 because the world is economically depressed and has not recovered from the devastation of COVID. This is a reality leaders are not confessing to.

They all con their people to win election but folks who dig beyond the surface know the world is in trouble.

I personally don't believe total phase out of fossil fuel, for green energy, can be achieved in less than 35 to 40 years from now.

In fact, I believe Nigeria will become significantly more important to the world because of our oil and gas endowment if we can be disciplined and focused securing best deals from a world becoming more protectionist and adversarial. Meaning oil and gas are becoming practically the most important commodities.

Even Trump's recent hijack of Maduro and Venezuela confirms that.

The US-Iran war demonstrated the fragility of the world's non-petrol energy insecurity.

WizardOfNG:
You need to work on becoming better at critical thinking.

WizardOfNG:
💯% correct. This is why Nigerians must support and endure with Tinubu. He is the only one who can do the bolded.

We must not elect Atiku, because he will kowtow to what safeguards the interest of the North which is always the opposite of what is best for Nigeria.

Critical thinking Nigerians will know Obi is not an option because he would be the most cowardly and most impotent man to ever be President.

Anyone who truly understands Nigeria will know what Tinubu has achieved so far is because he built many powerful and silent loyalists home and abroad that allows him implement reforms Nigeria truly need. Even in the military, Tinubu has many who fear and respect him.

Obi is totally empty in that capacity and will be a lame duck President from day one. For example, Obi will never be able to bully through tax reforms as Tinubu did given the opposition from the North.

It was Northern legislators, many that Tinubu has had positive impact on their career, who helped to carry the day for Tinubu. Obi has none. Zero. No mentees and no loyal foot soldiers.

Nigerians are not a people who think critically. This is why some can be shouting Obi. Our Nation is not like the USA where there is institutional integrity and the power is in the office of the Presidency.

In Nigeria the power is in the individual who is President. Obi is worthless in that regard. He is someone no one respects and very few will obey let alone bow for as is needed for a President to lead well in a nation full of some of the most difficult people in the world.

A Nigerian President must be a strong, authoritative and well-supported man who can tame monsters because, unluckily, we have far too many in comparison to other nations of the world. Obi is never that leader. He never was and never will be.

DomPerignon:
Vast share of daily crude production is not used as an energy source.

Rather it is used in developing synthetic resins that are used from everything from pharmaceuticals, industrial solvents , plastic derivatives like what 70% of your phone you are holding is made out of.

Once palm oil was used as an energy source to power steam engines as an alternative coal and as fuel to burn oil lamps in homes and street lightning across Europe. Palm oil was in high demand but it's cost spiked higher when electricity replaced oil lamps and diesel replaced it as engine fuel.

Despite it's relegation , palm oil is today more expensive than it was when it was used as an energy source despite production output today ten times more than it was when it was a major international trading commodity.

TBTB, have realized that crude oil is too valuable as a resource to be used as cheap fuel and that's why they are searching for alternative to crude oil in transportation.

You can't even dream of producing an EV car without crude derivatives.

Okoyeeboz:
The same person Dickson is sending on errands inside his sitting room?

Don't worry.
Na here all of us go dey to laugh una.

Denalarian:
This is life.. you come and you go no matter how powerful and influential you believe you are. A whole dictator like abacha died and the country jubilated like the devil was struck by God himself.. Nigerian know and expect the current president to be expelled and just know that God is watching

chopnaira:
Nice one. It would help reduce traffic along the Ikeja corridor.