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Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, yesterday, announced a N77 million resettlement package for 77 families comprising 112 indigenes who returned from South Africa following reported xenophobic attacks.
Each family received N1 million as seed capital to rebuild their lives, while another 42 returnee families are being profiled by the state government in collaboration with the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM).
Receiving the returnees at the International Conference Centre, Enugu, Mbah condemned the attacks and said the intervention was intended to help the affected families move beyond merely returning home to rebuilding their livelihoods.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, the governor acknowledged that many of the returnees had left behind businesses, investments, possessions and years of work in South Africa.
“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,” he said.
Mbah said although the state was relieved to receive its indigenes alive, their forced return presented a new challenge of economic and social reintegration.
“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,” he said.
The governor said the N1 million given to each family was not compensation for whatever they lost in South Africa, but seed capital to enable them to make a fresh start.
“Government must do more than make speeches. It must put something tangible in your hands. That is why we have approved a N1 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,” Mbah said.
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He added that the government would explore opportunities to connect the returnees with programmes and institutions capable of supporting their reintegration.
Mbah urged them not to be discouraged by their experience in South Africa, but to deploy the skills, knowledge and business experience acquired abroad in rebuilding their lives in Enugu.
“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,” he said.
According to him, ongoing state investments in infrastructure, healthcare, education, agriculture, tourism, technology and industry were opening new economic opportunities.
Responding on behalf of the returnees, Chidimma Ogbonna thanked the governor for the reception and financial support.
“We feel at home. Your kindness gave hope and this opportunity. Thank you for welcoming us home and for believing in us,” she said.
Another returnee, Cosmas Okwor, said the reception had restored their confidence.
“We are hopeful again,” he said.
Chairman of the Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers, Igwe Samuel Ikechukwu Asadu, urged the returnees to rebuild their lives and take advantage of opportunities in the state.
“Put yourself in a position to win. New opportunities beckon,” he said.
Earlier, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Diaspora, Barr. Olangwa Ezekwu, commended the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and NIDCOM, led by Abike Dabiri-Erewa, for their roles in facilitating the return of Nigerians affected by the situation in South Africa.
