Nigerian citizens exempt from covering costs of return from South Africa, says government representative

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South Africa

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Nigerians to be evacuated from South Africa will not bear the cost of their repatriation, Mr Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has said.

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Ebienfa said this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday.

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He said the ministry would deploy aircraft to bring them home.

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According to him, the screening of Nigerians in South Africa who registered for evacuation will end on Saturday.

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“The process, which commenced on June 4, is a joint exercise involving the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation, as well as the South African Police and immigration authorities.

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“At the end of the screening, we will have a definite number of persons cleared for evacuation.

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“Thereafter, we will finalise arrangements for the deployment of aircraft to bring them home,” he said.

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Ebienfa spoke against the backdrop of the Federal Government’s preparations to repatriate Nigerians from South Africa under a voluntary evacuation programme following concerns over the safety of foreign nationals in the Southern African country and the recent anti-immigrant protests held in parts of the country.

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(NAN)

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