Director-General of NEMA, Mustapha Ahmed-Habib, announced this when he received the returnees from Niger Republic at the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.
By Jeffrey Agbo
No fewer than 266 stranded Nigerians have been repatriated from neighbouring Niger Republic, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said on Friday.
Director-General of NEMA, Mustapha Ahmed-Habib, announced this when he received the returnees at the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.
Ahmed-Habib, represented by NEMA Coordinator Kano Territorial Office, Nuradeen Abdullahi, said the returnees arrived at the international wing of the airport.
“One hundred and thirty returnees arrived late Thursday night at about 10:50 p.m. while 136 arrived on Friday at about 3:50 a.m. with SKY MALI Airlines operated by Ethiopian airlines FML5001 with registration number VR-CQX,” he said.
The NEMA DG noted that the returnees were brought back to Kano under the care of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) from Niamey, capital of Niger Republic through a voluntary repatriation programme.
“The programme was meant for the distressed Nigerians who had left the country to seek greener pastures in various European countries and could not afford to return when their journey became frustrating. The returnees included 144 adult males, 56 adult females and 66 children.
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“The returnees are from different parts of the country, some from Katsina, Kaduna, Bauchi, Sokoto and Kano States, among others,” he said.
The director-general explained that the returnees would undergo a four-day training on how to achieve self-sustainability and would be provided with seed capital to enable them to engage in productive activities to be self-reliant.
According to Ahmed-Habib, the agency from April to December 13, 2022, received 723 stranded Nigerians repatriated from Agadas Republic, Khartoum, Sudan, and Chad and were trained in various skills acquisition.
Recounting her ordeal, Salamatu Muhammad from Kano State said she travelled to Niger Republic with her six-year-old granddaughter to seek greener pastures.
Usman Kabir, another returnee from Zaria, Kaduna State, said he sold his plot of land to travel to Libya to seek greener pastures.