ABUJA — The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has stated that none of the 258 Nigerians recently evacuated from South Africa committed any crime, stressing that their only offence was being black immigrants in the country.
Speaking during an interview on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme aired on Thursday, Dabiri-Erewa described the returnees as victims of discrimination and expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for facilitating their safe return to Nigeria.
According to her, the evacuation exercise was successfully carried out through a coordinated effort involving multiple government agencies and private sector support.
“I tell you something about those 258 that came in. None of them committed any crime. The only crime they committed is the colour of their skin. They are black migrants in South Africa,” she said.
Dabiri-Erewa also commended telecommunications giant MTN for supporting the returnees with financial assistance, revealing that each evacuee received ₦100,000 and ₦50,000 worth of airtime upon arrival.
She noted that attention has now shifted to the reintegration of the returnees into society, describing the evacuation process as a seamless multi-agency collaboration.
The NIDCOM boss further called on state governors to emulate the gesture of Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, who provided ₦1 million each to indigent returnees from Imo State among those evacuated.
“We are happy that President Tinubu ensured their return. Then also on ground was MTN, who gave ₦100,000 to each one of them and transferred ₦50,000 airtime. So now, we are onto the reintegration stage,” she added.
Dabiri-Erewa emphasized the importance of continued support for Nigerians returning from difficult situations abroad, urging state governments and stakeholders to assist in their rehabilitation and economic reintegration.
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