Okokoh denies allegations that Nigerian govt left citizens stranded
Dozens of Nigerians are camping outside the High Commission in Pretoria, wanting to be evacuated.
The President of the Ohaneze Ndi-Igbo South Africa Chapter, Dr. ABC Okokoh, has denied allegations that the Nigerian government has left its citizens stranded in South Africa.
This comes as dozens of Nigerian nationals continue to camp outside the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, calling on their government to evacuate them.
The Nigerian government last week announced that it had completed its voluntary repatriation programme, with the final flight taking over three hundred returnees home on Thursday.
Okokoh says about 1490 Nigerian nationals have been repatriated since the start of the programme in June.
“What is unfolding is some people who actually woke up at the last minute, thinking they will be repatriated the moment they come to the embassy or the High Commission. They forget that repatriation is a conditional offer made to them, so most of them did not take the offer seriously. The Nigerian government explicitly said that they are going to send only five flights, which they have sent. It’s not like they just halted it or it’s not like they don’t want to continue it. It is just because they’ve already exhausted the plan they have.”
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