Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has welcomed 112 indigenes of the state who returned from South Africa following renewed xenophobic attacks against black African migrants in parts of the country.
The returnees, comprising 77 families, were received on Thursday at the International Conference Centre, Enugu, where the state government provided ₦1 million to each family, totalling ₦77 million, as seed support for their reintegration and resettlement.
Mbah, who was represented at the event by the Secretary to the Enugu State Government (SSG), Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said the administration understood the losses and difficulties faced by those forced to abandon their businesses, investments, possessions and years of work abroad.
He also disclosed that the government, in collaboration with the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), was profiling about 42 additional families expected to return.
Condemning the xenophobic attacks, Mbah urged the returnees not to be discouraged by their experience in South Africa, saying the government’s priority was to help them rebuild their lives in Enugu.
“The renewed attacks and hostility directed at black African migrants in parts of South Africa is condemnable and have forced many Nigerians to reconsider their safety and return home.
“Some may have left behind businesses, possessions, investments, friendships and years of work. And so, while there is happiness in seeing you alive and safely back on Enugu soil, we also understand that coming home under circumstances you did not choose can carry its own pain.
“The question before us is not simply, ‘How do we receive our people back?’ The bigger question is: ‘How do we help them begin again?’ That is why today’s reception must go beyond photographs and handshakes. It must mark the beginning of reintegration. It must mark the beginning of rebuilding.
“Importantly, government must do more than make speeches. It must put something tangible in your hands. That is why we have approved a ₦1 million seed fund for each returning family represented here today. Let me stress the word seed. A seed is not the harvest. It is the beginning of the harvest.
“This support is, therefore, not being presented as compensation for everything you may have lost. It is not intended to replace the businesses, properties or investments that some of you may have left behind. Rather, it is a modest but deliberate expression of solidarity from your state.
“The important thing is that we want this intervention to move you from returning home to rebuilding at home. And the Government of Enugu State will continue to explore ways of connecting you with relevant opportunities, programmes and institutions that can support that journey,” Mbah stated.
The governor also urged the returnees to transfer the skills, experiences and networks they acquired in South Africa into new opportunities in Enugu rather than allowing the circumstances of their return to diminish their aspirations.
“I want to make one more appeal to you: Do not discard what you learnt abroad. Bring it home. Bring the discipline. Bring the ideas. Bring the networks. Bring the entrepreneurial experiences. Bring the knowledge of markets and technologies. Bring the things that worked. And even bring the lessons from the things that did not work.
“This experience must mark the beginning of a new conversation about the opportunities that exist here in Enugu, because the Enugu of today is changing. Our administration is deliberately working to create an environment where people can live, work, invest, build businesses and raise families with greater confidence.
“We are expanding infrastructure. We are improving connectivity. We are strengthening healthcare. We are investing in education and human capital. We are opening new possibilities in agriculture, tourism, technology, enterprise and industry,” he concluded.
Speaking on behalf of the returnees, Chidimma Ogbonna expressed appreciation to the governor for the reception and financial support, saying the gesture had restored their sense of belonging.
“Your kindness gave hope and this opportunity. Thank you for welcoming us home and for believing in us,” she stated.
Another returnee, Cosmas Okwor, said the government’s gesture had renewed their optimism after the difficult experience in South Africa.
“We are hopeful again,” Okwor said.
The returnees also expressed satisfaction with the improvements they observed in infrastructure and security across the state, saying the developments would make their resettlement easier.
The Chairman of the Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers, HRH Igwe Samuel Ikechukwu Asadu, urged the returnees to rebuild their lives with determination and take advantage of emerging opportunities.
“Put yourself in a position to win. New opportunities beckon,” he stressed.
Earlier, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Diaspora, Barr. Olangwa Ezekwu, welcomed the returnees and commended the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, as well as the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission led by Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, for their efforts in facilitating the safe return of Nigerians affected by the xenophobic attacks.
Ezekwu also thanked Governor Mbah for what she described as his fatherly disposition towards the returnees and his intervention to support their reintegration into the state.
