The Federal Government has completed the evacuation of Nigerians stranded in South Africa after weeks of anti-immigration protests and security concerns, but the end of the airlift has opened a fresh debate over how the returnees will rebuild their lives after losing jobs, businesses, and other means of livelihood.
The final batch of evacuees arrived in Lagos on Wednesday, bringing to a close an operation that returned more than 1,400 Nigerians through several chartered flights coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) and Air Peace. The exercise marked one of Nigeria’s largest emergency repatriation efforts in recent years.
The evacuation began in June after hundreds of Nigerians requested assistance to leave South Africa amid renewed xenophobic attacks and anti-immigration demonstrations that left many fearing for their safety. Government records indicated that more than 1,000 Nigerians initially registered for voluntary evacuation as tensions escalated.
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Speaking during one of the evacuation exercises, NiDCOM Chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said the government remained committed to protecting Nigerians abroad.
Dabiri-Erewa said, “No Nigerian willing to return home will be abandoned.”
He assured that the repatriation would continue until every registered citizen willing to return had been evacuated.
While officials described the operation as successful, attention is now shifting to the long-term welfare of those who have returned.
Many of the evacuees reportedly left behind businesses, employment, homes, and personal investments accumulated over several years in South Africa. Some had lived in the country for more than a decade before deciding to return after the renewed violence.
NiDCOM disclosed that government agencies, state governments, and private organisations had provided financial support, temporary accommodation, and empowerment packages for some of the returnees as they begin life afresh in Nigeria.
However, former Nigerian Ambassador to Switzerland, Joseph Ayalogu, noted that emergency assistance alone would not address the losses suffered by many of those forced to leave South Africa.
Ayalogu “The government has to even begin to think of compensating the people who have lost their livelihood and investments there.”
He then added that many returnees would require sustained economic support rather than short-term relief.
The evacuation has also revived concerns about the recurring strain in Nigeria-South Africa relations whenever xenophobic violence resurfaces. Previous attacks on foreign nationals have repeatedly prompted diplomatic engagements between Abuja and Pretoria, with Nigerian authorities demanding stronger protection for citizens residing in South Africa.
Even though South African authorities have maintained that recent enforcement actions targeted undocumented migrants, Nigerian officials consistently express concern over the safety of Nigerians caught in anti-immigrant campaigns.
With the final evacuation flight now completed, the government’s immediate rescue mission has ended. Whether the intervention will ultimately be judged a lasting success may depend less on the number of citizens brought home than on how effectively those returnees are reintegrated into an economy already grappling with unemployment, inflation, and rising living costs.
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