The Federal Government has announced that a new batch of 83 Nigerian evacuees, sponsored by public-spirited private individuals, will arrive in Lagos on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement by its spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, said the group will fly into the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, via South African Airways.
The evacuees are expected to depart Oliver Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg at 3.35pm local time and arrive in Lagos at approximately 8.45pm the same day.
“The Ministry wishes to note that this latest cohort of returnees is facilitated through the kind intervention and sponsorship of tickets by public-spirited private individuals, whose generosity the Federal Government acknowledges with profound gratitude,” the statement read.
The batch follows the earlier conclusion of the government's voluntary repatriation programme, which saw nearly 1,490 Nigerian citizens repatriated from South Africa amid rising Afrophobic attacks and anti-foreigner sentiments in the country, a pattern of xenophobic violence targeting African migrants that has periodically flared in South Africa over the past decade.
Ministry Calls On Private Sector To Support Future Evacuations
The ministry said the Federal Government, under President Bola Tinubu, remains committed to safeguarding the welfare and dignity of Nigerians at home and abroad, describing the effort as part of its Citizen Diplomacy agenda, a foreign policy approach that treats Nigerians in the diaspora as assets for national development rather than a burden.
It extended special appreciation to the private individuals and philanthropists who stepped forward to fund the evacuation, describing their intervention as a model of the “whole of society approach” to public-private collaboration that the government has championed.
“The Ministry commends their patriotism and selflessness, which have significantly alleviated the plight of our compatriots in South Africa,” the statement said.
It called on the organised private sector, corporate organisations, state governments and other well-meaning Nigerians at home and in the diaspora to emulate the gesture, saying such collective efforts would strengthen the country’s capacity to respond to consular emergencies.
The ministry also said it remains committed to deepening strategic partnerships with host nations, including South Africa, to address the root causes of Afrophobia and ensure that acts of violence and discrimination against Nigerians are prevented, condemned and, where they occur, that perpetrators are held accountable.
Context of the Evacuation
Afrophobia refers to hostility, discrimination or violence directed at Black African migrants, distinct from broader xenophobia in that it specifically targets people of African origin.
South Africa has recorded recurring waves of such attacks over the past two decades, often driven by economic tension and competition over jobs and housing in urban townships, with Nigerian traders and small business owners among those repeatedly targeted.
The Nigerian government has previously worked with the International Organization for Migration and South African authorities to coordinate earlier phases of the repatriation exercise, which began after a fresh wave of attacks against foreign nationals was reported in several South African cities.
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