The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has commenced the evacuation of about 500 Nigerians from South Africa, with the first batch of 100 returnees arriving in Lagos on Thursday night.
The Nigerians arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, from Johannesburg at about 8:30 p.m.
Their return is part of a humanitarian intervention approved by the General Overseer of the RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, after appeals for assistance for Nigerians who were stranded or required to leave South Africa.
The church is funding the air transportation of the returnees from Johannesburg to Lagos, while government agencies are responsible for their reception, profiling and movement to their various destinations.
The RCCG said the exercise would continue in batches as the necessary documentation and clearance processes are completed.
The church had earlier announced that it committed $265,854 towards the evacuation and repatriation of distressed Nigerians from South Africa.
It said the intervention was intended to provide immediate relief and safe passage for Nigerians affected by the situation in the country.
Chairman of the RCCG Task Force for the Reception of Nigerian Returnees from South Africa, Pastor Belemina Obunge, said the intervention was approved by Adeboye after the church received an appeal concerning Nigerians who needed to return home.
According to him, the church’s responsibility is primarily the funding of the airlift, while relevant government institutions will take over the returnees once they arrive in Nigeria.
Obunge also explained that the people being evacuated were not selected because they were members of the RCCG.
He said the Nigerian diplomatic mission in South Africa was working with the South African authorities to identify Nigerians who qualified for the repatriation.
“The Nigerian High Commission in South Africa is working with Home Affairs in South Africa, doing the profiling and documentation. Those who go through that process are being brought home,” he said.
The RCCG official stressed that the intervention was open to Nigerians irrespective of their religious background.
“They are Muslims, Christians, all religions,” he said.
He said the church deliberately worked with government agencies to ensure that the process did not become limited to members of the RCCG.
The first batch was received at the Lagos airport by officials of the RCCG alongside representatives of government agencies, including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI).
The agencies began profiling the returnees after their arrival.
The profiling is expected to help establish the identities and destinations of the returnees before they are moved to their respective states.
A NEMA official also indicated that the returnees would be transported to their respective state capitals after the completion of the profiling process.
Obunge said the RCCG task force was present at the airport not only to receive the Nigerians but also to provide them with encouragement and facilitate their handover to the appropriate government authorities.
He said the church would continue to support the returnees through the initial stages of their arrival.
The RCCG chairman also appealed to state governments to take responsibility for their citizens returning from South Africa.
“We use this opportunity to urge the states and governments to welcome their people home and see what they can do, as some have already started doing, to assist with the effective reintegration of their people into society,” he said.
He noted that some state governments had already started making arrangements for their citizens, while urging others to do the same.
The intervention comes amid renewed concerns over the treatment and safety of Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa.
The issue has recently attracted attention from the Nigerian government and lawmakers following reports of xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks affecting Nigerians and other foreign nationals.
The National Assembly earlier suspended official trips to South Africa and directed lawmakers and officials to boycott legislative programmes hosted by the country following concerns over attacks against Nigerians and other African nationals.
The RCCG intervention therefore adds a humanitarian dimension to the ongoing efforts to assist Nigerians affected by the situation.
Obunge said the church’s decision followed an appeal from the Nigerian diplomatic mission in South Africa.
He explained that the returnees had to undergo the required screening and documentation before being cleared for travel.
He added that the evacuation could involve slightly more than the initial 500 people because children and infants were also among those being processed.
The returnees will therefore not all arrive in Nigeria at the same time.
According to the church, subsequent flights will be arranged when another group completes the documentation and clearance process.
“There is a process in South Africa. The process requires they are being cleared by the High Commission and they are being cleared by Home Affairs. A lot of documentation has to be done.
“Once the next batch is ready, we shall be so informed, and they shall be brought back home.”
Obunge also urged Nigerians who are still stranded in South Africa and require assistance to contact the Nigerian diplomatic mission.
“We urge all Nigerians that are stranded there to do what their colleagues are doing. Go to the embassy. Go to the High Commission. They are more than willing to do what they need to do to make sure that the suffering of Nigerians comes to an end,” he said.
He commended the Nigerian diplomatic mission in South Africa, the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NEMA, NCFRMI, airport authorities and other agencies involved in the exercise.
The Chairman of the RCCG Central Mission Board, Pastor Amos Emoron, who was also part of the team that received the returnees, said the beneficiaries were selected without discrimination based on religion, tribe or affiliation.
The church also said the returnees would receive support as they begin the process of settling back into Nigeria.
Obunge described the arrival of the first group as the beginning of a new phase for the Nigerians involved.
“Their return is not the end of their journey, but it is the beginning of a new chapter,” he said.
The RCCG team also provided food packs to the returnees after their arrival at the airport.
The church said more Nigerians would be brought back as the diplomatic and administrative procedures are completed.
… RCCG Begins Evacuation of 500 Nigerians From South Africa as 100 Return Home Read More on … NaijaOnPoint.
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