The federal government has brought another batch of Nigerians from South Africa.
The returnees, who were 269 in number, arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, at about 11:30am on Tuesday.
Before the latest operation, 328 Nigerians had already been repatriated in two batches.
The first flight, which landed on June 11, brought back 262 returnees, while a second batch of 66 arrived in Lagos on June 25.
The second batch, comprising 66 returnees, was facilitated by the chairman/chief executive officer of ValueJet, Otunba Kunle Soname.
The evacuation is being conducted in collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other government agencies.
The latest evacuation flight departed Johannesburg, South Africa, and was operated by Air Peace.
Officials of the Nigerian Mission in South Africa accompanied the returnees to Nigeria.
Senior officials of the ministry of foreign affairs, led by the director of the African affairs department, ambassador Haruna Ali-Gombe, received the evacuees on arrival.
Ali-Gombe conveyed the greetings of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the returnees and reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to the welfare and safety of Nigerians living abroad.
The ministry of foreign affairs said the latest evacuation came ahead of the June 30 deadline issued by South African authorities for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country.
“With the June 30 deadline on undocumented foreigners to leave South Africa, the Federal Government wishes to reiterate the fact that the evacuation process is still on course and more flights are expected in the country in the next few days to evacuate all Nigerians that have been screened and cleared to voluntarily return to the country,” spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said in a statement.
The ministry also noted that the federal government would continue to engage the South African authorities at the highest diplomatic level to safeguard the interests and security of Nigerians residing in the country.
