The federal government of Nigeria has assured
South African returnees that it will not abandon them to their plight as
all efforts are on to continue the rehabilitation and empowerment
programmes.
Giving the reassurance in her office on Thursday, the Chairman/CEO of
Nigerian in Diaspora Commission Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa told a South
African widow returnee, Mrs. Yinka Iyoha, that the federal government
will not abandon all Nigerians brought back to the country as a result
of xenophobic attacks.
The widow’s plight attracted attention from Multi choice Nigeria who
graciously donated a cheque of One million naira through NiDCOM to Mrs.
Iyoha and her four children to start a new life back home.
Dabiri-Erewa equally announced a scholarship to one of the children of
the returnee courtesy of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission.
The NIDCOM boss said that the Federal Government is kick starting an
entrepreneurship programme for the returnees in collaboration with Small
and Medium scale Enterprises Development Agencies (SMEDAN) and National
Directorate of Employment (NDE).
She mentioned that the returnees will be trained on various skill
acquisitions and certified, mentored and funded by the Central Bank of
Nigeria. In addition, funds from N1 million to N10 million naira will be
released for the programme.
She also appealed to other state governments to liaise with the
returnees in their respective states and key in into the rehabilitation
and reintegration schemes.
“We can only hope to work for peace and unity among Africans as the
Nigerian mission had a programme in Johannesburg, South Africa entitled
UNITE AFRICA, geared towards eradicating xenophobia in South Africa” She
said.
While encouraging African countries to unite in love, she said that
Nigerians in South Africa are working with their counterparts to ensure
this, while those who commit crimes will face the penalty.
Receiving the cheque donation, an elated Iyoha showed appreciation to
President Muhammadu Buhari, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Air peace, Multi
choice and Nigerians for assisting her and other returnees in the speedy
rehabilitation and reintegration.
“There is no place like home and I am very happy to be back home, what
we experienced in South Africa we cannot describe it, it was like living
in the wilderness”, she said.
Iyoha who lost her husband as far back as 2010 in South Africa and has
been with the burden of raising her four children alone, complained of
her business being crumbled by South African hostile trade policies.
As a businesswoman, “it was very tough for me as I lost over 20 million
worth of goods due to the South African Customs seizing imported goods
from Nigeria.
It will be recalled that an anonymous Nigerian and a cancer survivor,
donated her one month salary of N500, 000 through NIDCOM in October to
assist South Africa women and children returnees.