RCCG funds return of Nigerians from South Africa

The first group of Nigerians returning from South Africa on tickets paid for by the Redeemed Christian Church of God arrived in Lagos on Thursday night.

RCCG plans to fund the journeys of at least 500 Nigerians from Johannesburg to Lagos after an appeal from Nigeria’s diplomatic mission in South Africa. Pastor Belemina Obunge, who heads the church’s task force for the returnees, said the assistance was open to Nigerians of different faiths, not just church members.

The group landed at Murtala Muhammed International Airport. BBC News Pidgin, citing Nigeria’s foreign ministry, put the number of arrivals at 105. RCCG’s General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, also gave that figure in a welcome message on Friday, although Punch’s airport report said 107 people arrived.

Obunge said the Nigerian High Commission and South African Home Affairs authorities handled the checks and travel documents before departure. Further groups would leave once their clearance was completed.

In Lagos, officials from the National Emergency Management Agency and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons received the returnees. NEMA’s Head of Operations, Mohammed Olatunde, said they would be taken to their state capitals after processing at the airport.

The returns come amid safety concerns for Nigerians in South Africa. Nigeria’s foreign ministry told BBC News Pidgin that it was working to help more distressed citizens leave. Anti-migrant groups have set a September 30 deadline for undocumented migrants to leave, but South African authorities have warned against vigilantism and said immigration enforcement is the government’s responsibility.

The latest arrivals follow earlier returns, including 67 Nigerians who reached Lagos in August.

Obunge advised Nigerians still stranded in South Africa to approach Nigeria’s diplomatic mission for help with the documents needed to return.

Sources: BBC News Pidgin, Punch