RCCG BEGINS REPATRIATION OF 500 NIGERIANS FROM SOUTH AFRICA

The Redeemed Christian Church of God has begun the repatriation of at least 500 Nigerians from South Africa, with the first batch of 100 returnees arriving at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Thursday night.

The returnees were flown from Johannesburg to Lagos under a humanitarian intervention funded by the RCCG following an appeal from the Nigerian diplomatic mission in South Africa.

Officials of the National Emergency Management Agency and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, alongside other relevant agencies, received the returnees at the airport.

Profiling of the returnees commenced after their arrival, with a NEMA official saying they would be transported to their respective state capitals after the process was completed.

Speaking ahead of the arrival, the Chairman of the RCCG Task Force for the Reception of Nigerian Returnees from South Africa, Pastor Belemina Obunge, said RCCG General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, approved the funding for the repatriation on humanitarian grounds.

Obunge explained that the returnees had been profiled and documented by the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa in collaboration with the South African Home Affairs authorities.

He stressed that the beneficiaries were not selected based on their membership of the RCCG, noting that Nigerians of different religious backgrounds were included in the exercise.

According to him, the returnees were Nigerians who, due to their circumstances in South Africa, needed to return home and had completed the required documentation and clearance process.

Obunge said the church’s intervention was limited to funding their air transportation from Johannesburg to Lagos, while government agencies would oversee their reception, processing and onward movement.

He added that the RCCG task force would welcome the returnees, offer prayers and encouragement, and support their orderly handover to the appropriate government agencies.

The cleric also appealed to state governments to welcome their returning citizens and provide assistance to help them reintegrate into their communities.

He said the repatriation followed an appeal from the Nigerian diplomatic mission in South Africa on behalf of Nigerians who were stranded and needed assistance to return home.

Obunge said the church expected at least 500 Nigerians to be repatriated, although the number could be slightly higher because children and infants were also among those returning.

He explained that the returnees were being brought back in batches because of the documentation and clearance procedures required by the Nigerian High Commission and South African Home Affairs authorities.

According to him, subsequent batches would be transported to Nigeria once the required processes had been completed and the diplomatic mission notified the RCCG.

Obunge urged Nigerians still stranded in South Africa to approach the Nigerian embassy or High Commission to begin the necessary documentation and seek assistance with their return.

He also encouraged other religious organisations to support Nigerians facing similar difficulties in other countries, saying the RCCG’s intervention could serve as an example of humanitarian assistance.

The RCCG chairman commended the Nigerian diplomatic mission in South Africa, the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NEMA, NCFRMI, airport authorities and other stakeholders involved in the repatriation exercise.

He said the church would continue to welcome and encourage the returnees as they begin the next phase of their lives in Nigeria.

The returnees were later provided with food packs by the RCCG team before being handed over to the relevant government agencies for further processing.