By Gloria Ikibah
Following recent xenophobic protests, the Federal Government has evacuated 593 Nigerians from South Africa, with three additional evacuation flights scheduled to bring home hundreds more citizens who have indicated their willingness to return.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement signed by the Spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa on Thursday, disclosed this, saying that the evacuation exercise underscores the government’s commitment to protecting Nigerians abroad during times of crisis. 
According to the Ebienfa, the first batch of 258 evacuees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on 11 June aboard a special Air Peace flight and was received by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, on behalf of the Federal Government before being handed over to relevant agencies for documentation and profiling.
He explained that logistical challenges delayed the second evacuation flight, resulting in some Nigerians being temporarily accommodated at the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria.
The Spokesperson added that a Nigerian philanthropist voluntarily paid for the tickets of 66 stranded citizens, who subsequently returned to Lagos on 24 June aboard South African Airways.
A further 269 Nigerians arrived on a second government-coordinated evacuation flight on 30 June, bringing the total number of returnees to 593.
The ministry said the evacuation exercise was still ongoing.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to assure Nigerians that three additional flights will be operated in the next few days to ensure that all Nigerians who voluntarily registered to be evacuated and have been duly screened and cleared are brought back safely to the country. The expected number in that regard is 700 Nigerians”, the statement read.
According to the statement, the next evacuation flight will arrive on Friday, 3 July, carrying 271 returnees, with touchdown expected at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at 5.30am.
The ministry also dismissed reports alleging that officials at the Nigerian mission in South Africa demanded money from stranded citizens before registering them for evacuation, and described the allegations as unfounded.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to place on record that all the special evacuation flights are fully paid for by the Federal Government and at no cost to the returnees.
“This clarification is necessitated by insinuations and false allegations that some staff of the Nigerian Mission were requesting money before enlisting our nationals for the evacuation flights. That is totally false, fake news, and should be discarded”, it stated
The ministry commended the collaboration among relevant ministries, departments and agencies involved in the operation, describing the exercise as a demonstration of the government’s commitment to safeguarding the welfare of Nigerians overseas.
“The evacuation process clearly underscores the priority accorded to the protection of Nigerian citizens overseas, which remains a central pillar of Nigeria’s foreign policy and a core responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“It also reflects the Government’s determination to ensure that Nigerians affected by crises abroad receive the necessary support, dignity, and care. The lives of Nigerians living abroad matters and we are trying our best as a Ministry to give them a sense of belonging”, it added.
