A government official addressing a returnee from India
Eko Hot Blog reports that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has evacuated 266 stranded Nigerians from the Niger Republic.
NEMA’s director-general, Mustapha Ahmed-Habib, received the returnees at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, on Friday.
Ahmed-Habib, represented by NEMA’s Kano coordinator, Nuradeen Abdullahi, disclosed that the returnees were brought back under the care of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) from Niamey, capital of Niger Republic, through a voluntary repatriation programme.
“One hundred and thirty returnees arrived late Thursday night at about 10:50 p.m. while 136 arrived on Friday at about 3:50 a.m. with SKY MALI Airlines operated by Ethiopian airlines FML5001 with registration number VR-CQX,” he said.
“The returnees included 144 adult males, 56 adult females and 66 children.
“The returnees are from different parts of the country, some from Katsina, Kaduna, Bauchi, Sokoto and Kano States, among others.
“The programme was meant for the distressed Nigerians who had left the country to seek greener pastures in various European countries and could not afford to return when their journey became frustrated.”
The NEMA boss added that the returnees would participate in a four-day training on how to achieve self-sustainability and would be provided with seed capital to enable them to start up self-reliant ventures.
Meanwhile, the returnees shared the horrors they experienced during their sojourn.
Usman Kabir, a returnee from Zaria, Kaduna, said he sold his plot of land to travel to Libya to seek greener pastures.
He said many migrants died in the Sahara from snakebites, adding that the shame of not achieving his quest stopped him from coming back home.
Salamatu Muhammad from Kano said she travelled to Niger with her six-year-old granddaughter after her husband suffered financial setbacks.
According to NEMA, 723 stranded Nigerians have been repatriated from Niger, Sudan, and Chad between April and December 13, 2022.
Similarly, the federal government, through NEMA and other relevant agencies, also on Friday, evacuated 196 Nigerians that were stranded in India.
Returnees from India
The India returnees arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja via an Ethiopian Air flight at about 5pm.
Each evacuee received a $100 stipend courtesy of the FG, and a free Airtel SIM card, courtesy of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) and the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC).
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