The first batch of 100 Nigerians stranded in South Africa arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, at about 8:30 p.m. yesterday, as the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) launched a humanitarian airlift to bring 500 Nigerians home.
The flight from Johannesburg marked the first phase of the church-sponsored repatriation programme, with four additional batches expected to bring back the remaining 400 registered Nigerians.
Speaking at the airport reception, the Special Adviser to the General Overseer on Special Duties and Chairman of the RCCG Task Force on Repatriation, Pastor Belemina Obunge, said the intervention was authorised by the church’s General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye.
Obunge said the initiative was driven by the church’s concern for Nigerians required to return home from South Africa.
‘Moved by compassion for Nigerians who were required to return home from South Africa, the General Overseer approved the funding of air transportation for 500 Nigerians from Johannesburg to Lagos.
‘This first batch marks the commencement of that humanitarian intervention, with additional batches expected to follow,’ he said.
He commended the Nigerian diplomatic mission in South Africa for coordinating the repatriation process, particularly the Consul-General, Ambassador Ninikanwa O. Okey-Uche, and the Acting High Commissioner, Ambassador Temitope Ajayi.
Other government agencies involved in the operation were the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
While RCCG fully funded the charter flights, its representatives also offered spiritual support and helped to ensure the orderly handover of the returnees to the relevant government authorities.
After prayers and counselling, the returnees were handed over to the appropriate agencies for documentation, logistics and onward transportation to their respective home states.
Obunge said the returnees’ arrival marked the beginning of a new chapter in their lives.
‘Their return indeed is not the end of their journey, but it is the beginning of a new chapter, a chapter we believe will be glorious and will bring glory and honour to God,’ he said.
Also at the airport was the Chairman of the RCCG Central Mission Board, Pastor Amos Emoron, who, alongside Obunge, led the church task force that received the returnees.
Emoron said the beneficiaries were selected without discrimination based on religion, ethnicity or affiliation.
The church said subsequent phases of the airlift would be announced as the Nigerian diplomatic mission in South Africa completes documentation for the remaining 400 registered Nigerians.