Following the continued attacks and killings of Nigerians living in South Africa, a fresh diplomatic bottleneck threatens the fragile diplomatic ties between Nigeria and South Africa despite Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyema saying the relationship between the two countries remains strong.
Control TV gathered that the evacuation plan of at least 640 Nigerians was met with resistance and arrests of some of the voluntary returnees, forcing the first airlift to be delayed by 10 hours.
As at evening yesterday, the operating flight, scheduled to arrive at the Muritala Mohammed International Airport by 1:00p.m was yet to touch down.
An Air Peace Boeing 777 aircraft had left Nigeria during the week on Tuesday and arrived at O.R Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa, at about 4:00 a.m. to airlift the first of the two batches of returnees.
Sources in South Africa explained that the Nigerian Commission in that country had prepared the first 317 Nigerians for the evacuation,
but the South Africa Immigration Authorities initiated a round of uproar by arresting Nigerians who were due to travel, demanding papers and accusing them of travelling without the right document.
It will be recalled that the xenophobic attacks were premised on unemployment, drugs businesses by foreigners especially Nigerians and many other excuses.
These attacks have been partly unabated by the South African authority claiming that it wasn’t the first time such attacks had happened.
The Nigerian High Commission intervened to make the procedure easy.
“By 2:00 p.m. yesterday, only 182 Nigerians were allowed to board the flight, the rest were barred by the South Africa Immigration. They were frustrating the Nigerian High Commission too by re-arresting the returnees.
The aircraft (with some passengers on board) had been burning fuel since 4:00 a.m. as Nigeria was determined to evacuate its citizens. It seemed to suggest the South Africans did not want the world to know that a Nigerian airline and Nigerian government were evacuating them,” according to an airport official who wants to remain anonymous.
The management of Air Peace had said that the exercise would cost the airline about N300 million for the payment of passenger service charge, aeronautical and other charges in addition to the cost of operation.
Responding to the situation, the Chairman of the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa told reporters at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos, yesterday that the situation had led to the delay in the take-off and late arrival of the returnees.
She disclosed that 317 persons, comprising 231 males and 86 females, were already on the manifest to be airlifted.
Abike added quote ” on arrival we shall profile the voluntary returnees and give them support in form of fares that would eventually take them to their home states.
Dabiri-Erewa added that the government had mobilised the Bank of Industry (B.O.I) to work out skills acquisition and other social intervention programmes for those who show interest.
(c)Control TV. 2019
