- New Batch Of South Africa Returnees Says Their Names Were Omitted From Earlier Reintegration Support
By Princely Onyenwe | News Desk
OWERRI, IMO STATE — A fresh batch of Imo indigenes recently repatriated from South Africa on Thursday stormed the vicinity of the Imo State Government House in Owerri, appealing to Governor Hope Uzodinma to include them in the state’s ₦1 million reintegration grant for returnees.
The group, comprising returnees from different communities across Imo State, said they had travelled to Owerri since the morning to formally draw government attention to their plight after discovering that their names were not captured among beneficiaries of the earlier disbursement.
The development was witnessed by 9News Nigeria, which spoke with members of the group to establish the circumstances surrounding their demand. The returnees maintained that they were part of the recent wave of Imo indigenes who returned from South Africa following renewed xenophobic attacks and worsening conditions affecting foreign nationals.
Their appeal comes against the background of the intervention announced by Governor Uzodinma in June, when the Imo Government approved ₦1 million for each Imo indigene repatriated from South Africa as part of measures to support their reintegration. The announcement was made as the Federal Government and Nigerians in Diaspora Commission coordinated the evacuation of affected Nigerians.
Available reports indicate that the Imo intervention formed part of a broader support package, with the state government subsequently reported to have earmarked about ₦300 million for Imo returnees and Nigerian Law School students.
However, the returnees who gathered in Owerri said their particular batch was not captured during the earlier profiling and disbursement exercise. They therefore urged the state government to open the process to them so that their names could be verified and considered for the same reintegration assistance.
Speaking to 9News Nigeria, members of the group said most of them had returned without stable employment or sufficient resources to restart their lives.
They appealed directly to Governor Uzodinma, stressing that the ₦1 million intervention could provide critical assistance as they attempt to rebuild after leaving South Africa.
The returnees initially waited at the entrance love garden for government officials to attend to their complaint but said no official came out to address them for some time. Following guidance and advice on how best to present their grievance, the group proceeded to the Government House gate, where they displayed placards and submitted a written appeal containing the names and details of the affected Imo returnees.
The intervention eventually yielded a response as a senior government official came out to address the group. The official listened to their concerns and assured them that their request would be communicated to Governor Hope Uzodinma for consideration.
The assurance immediately changed the mood of the gathering, with the returnees dispersing peacefully and in cheers after expressing hope that the governor would respond positively to their appeal.
The development also highlights a potentially important administrative challenge arising from the Federal Government’s South Africa evacuation programme: identification and verification of every eligible returnee across successive batches.
Nigeria completed a multi-batch repatriation exercise from South Africa, with NiDCOM reporting that hundreds of Nigerians were brought home in successive operations. The Commission also confirmed that Imo indigenes were among those promised state-level financial assistance.
The latest appeal therefore places emphasis on the need for a transparent and comprehensive verification process that ensures eligible returnees are not excluded simply because they arrived in a later batch or were not captured during an earlier registration exercise.
For the affected returnees, the matter is more than a demand for cash. Many say they returned to Nigeria after losing their livelihoods or facing difficult circumstances in South Africa and now need practical support to begin again.
The ball is consequently back in the court of the Imo State Government. A fresh verification exercise, publication of an authenticated beneficiary list and a clear channel for omitted returnees to submit their documentation could help resolve the controversy while protecting the credibility of the reintegration programme.
For now, the returnees have left the Government House premises peacefully, hopeful that their names will receive the attention they say they were denied during the earlier disbursement.
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