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How my daughter and I survived 1983 Enugu plane crash – 86-year-old lawyer
86-year-old United Kingdom-trained lawyer, Pa Oluwole Adewumi, has spoken about his growing up, education, profession and family
When and where were you born?
I was born in 1935 into a privileged family in Emure-Ekiti, Ekiti State. My father was one of the few educated people among his contemporaries in those days. I started school in 1943 and left my town in 1947.
Which schools did you go to?
I went to St. Paul’s Primary School, Emure-Ekiti. From there, I proceeded to Emmanuel School, Ado-Ekiti. I joined my father in Ado-Ekiti in December 1947. I went to Emmanuel School and I finished in 1950. The school was one of the very few that had up to Standard 6 in those days. Most schools in those days ended at Standard 3.
What was your father’s occupation?
My father worked as a court official. He was educated and he was one of the very few people in the civil service that owned cars at the time. The car was a small Morris Minor, the type they used up till now in the UK. So, because of that he was nicknamed ‘Oyinbo Dudu’ (Black white man).
Are you the only child he had?
No, he had other children but I am the only male child, others were females. My father was a polygamist because of his popularity. Wherever he went to work in that area then, people would want him to be their in-law. He came from the same Emure-Ekiti town with my mother, so her case was different. He married my mother in a normal way, but my mother was the fourth wife.
As I said earlier, I’m the only surviving son of my father. The other wives were having female children and that created a problem in the household. When the problem was too much for my mother, she had to leave my father at the period. Shortly after that, I couldn’t cope with other wives, so I went to join my father in Ado-Ekiti. At that period, my father was already preparing to retire from government service.
When I was with my father, I was used like a slave because my mother was no longer with him. Every day, I would wake up by 4am to go and fetch water with his house help at a distance of about three to four kilometres at a place called Ishin Nla, close to the prison yard in Ado Ekiti. We used to struggle with the prisoners to fetch water.
Were you the only child from your mother?
No, my mother had four other children after me. She had a set of twins, and two others. But only God knows what happened, within six months the four of them mysteriously died. So, I became her only child. That was why I moved to my grandmother’s place at Emure-Ekiti where I schooled.
What do you remember about your primary school?
You might have heard of Prof. Banji Akintoye. He was my classmate at Emmanuel School. We always competed for the first position. I later left there and gained admission into Christ School. I picked Christ School because it was the only secondary school in the whole of Ekiti land then.
Why didn’t you finish your secondary school education there?
I didn’t know what suddenly came upon my father; he just stopped to pay my school fees. He claimed that he didn’t have money. I left him and went to Ibadan to live with my uncle, the younger brother to my mother. He worked in the Ministry of Agriculture. He told me to come to Ibadan, that he would enroll me in Ibadan Boys High School. When I got to him, he too turned me into a houseboy. So, I left him.
We had a family house in the Isale-Ijebu area of Ibadan. That was where I became very close to the owner of The PUNCH Newspaper, (the late Chief Olu) Aboderin. We were very close in those days. We did attend the same church. I wasn’t going to school any longer then; I was studying privately. To feed myself, sometimes I would go to the motor park at Isale-Ijebu to work as a porter or do other menial jobs. I did that for a while until I secured a teaching job. And because of my small stature I was called ‘Teacher Kekere’ (small teacher) in that school.
I was lucky to meet my principal who was very enterprising and passionate about human development. He always advised us that we should not end our lives there; that we should study further. He had been to London. Most of them went to London to obtain Teachers’ Certificate. Hardly would you see any of them with a degree. Those who had degree went to Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone. That was the only university in the whole of West Africa at that time.
So, I sat GCE in 1948 and I passed all my subjects. I didn’t do my ‘A’ levels in Nigeria because my focus was to travel to London. We had only one university here then, the University of Ibadan, and they were not offering Law then. Those that studied Law at that time all went to the UK.
Did you then travel to the UK to study Law?
Yes. I did.
How did you raise the money?
I went to the UK by a cargo ship in 1962. At that time if you wanted to travel out, you would go either by a passenger ship, a cargo ship or by air. Those were the options. But I went with a cargo ship because that was what I could afford. It was the cheapest of them all. We spent 27 days in the ship before getting to the UK. Whenever we got to any seaport, we did help them in offloading goods. Doing that would reduce our fare.
What was the experience like when you got to the UK?
When I arrived in London, my host, who happened to be my close friend, did not come to meet me at the seaport. But I had his address and took a taxi. The taxi driver took me to his apartment. On getting there, he peeped from upstairs and immediately apologised for his inability to pick me at the seaport. He welcomed me into his apartment and we both carried the foodstuffs and other things I brought from Nigeria into his house. His wife was not at home when I arrived. I was able to meet my friend at home because he was on night duty.
After settling down for some few hours, he showed me some letters that were sent to me from the University of London because I used his address while I was in Nigeria. I had put in for three Advanced Levels papers and had about three papers, making nine papers.
My friend became curious and asked me what all the letters were about because since he had been in the UK he had not taken his Advanced Levels programme. He tried to discourage me from taking the papers. He told me that he had already spoken with the factory where he was working and that I had been asked to come and start work.
University of London admitted me as an external student because I could not raise the money to sponsor myself for a full-time programme. So, I searched for a job and I got one at a Post Office Savings Bank as a clerical officer. At the close of work, I attended evening classes. Within a short time, I passed my LLB and I enrolled at the Bar to qualify as a lawyer. I passed my Bar finals in 1967.
Did you start practising immediately in the UK?
After my LLB, I was attached to a firm in the UK. I didn’t intend to stay over there at all; I wanted to return home. I worked for a year before returning home. But I didn’t work as a lawyer. You can’t work as a lawyer until you get your certificate from where you did your pupilage or attachment.
Why were you eager to return to Nigeria?
I loved Nigeria very much. We all loved Nigeria. We were very few lawyers in the country then. So, it was really a prestigious thing. We (lawyers) were like governors then.
I came back to Nigeria in 1968 and enrolled in the Nigerian Law School. I was called to Bar in 1969. My chamber was Agbaje and Agbaje in Ibadan where I once worked as a teacher before going to the UK. After a while, I returned to London because my wife and two children were there and after some time we all came back to Nigeria together in 1971.
At what point did you start a family?
I met my wife in 1962. That was before I left Nigeria. She is from Ise-Ekiti, which is the next town to my own town, Emure-Ekiti. We did all the wedding formality before I left and later she joined me in London in 1965, three years after I got to the UK. She had four children for me. One is currently a professor of Medicine in the USA. She stays in Florida. She was the one that we both survived a plane crash together. But my firstborn, a male, I’m still looking for him now; I have not seen him for the past 35 years. The third one is in Lagos; she is a clergywoman at Christ Embassy. The last child is a lawyer. She is living in the USA, too. She is a corporate lawyer in Texas.
You said you survived a plane crash with your first daughter. When was that?
It happened in 1983 when I was taking my daughter to school. We had a plane crash while flying from Lagos to Enugu. She just finished her school certificate then. She wanted to go for her HSC (Higher School Certificate) in Enugu, to be able to gain admission into 200 Level in the university. My daughter and I were the only two survivors of that plane crash. The plane crashed on November 28, 1983. All the national dailies at that time reported it. To God be the glory, the girl is a professor of Medicine in the USA today.
What was the experience like?
I had earlier been told in our church that I would be involved in a plane crash and that we must observe certain prayers, which we did. The vision was seen about two months before the crash. The plane crash happened about 10 miles to Enugu.
All I could remember during the crash was that we were in the bush and we heard some people, trapped in the plane shouting and crying. Suddenly the plane exploded and a fire began, so I couldn’t hear the sound of the people anymore. Shortly later, ambulances arrived at the scene. They packed the dead bodies while my daughter and I were taken to the Nsukka University Teaching Hospital.
You said you have been searching for your second child for the past 35 years. What happened to him?
I don’t know where he is as I am talking to you. My son’s situation worries me a lot. His name is Wole; I want to see him before I die. Almost every day, I think about him. I gave birth to him in 1966 and he is about 55 now. I had him very late at the age of 33. The last time I saw him was in 1986 in the USA, where he was schooling. I was going to America to monitor his progress in school. I took him to America to study in 1983. I enrolled him at a pre-university school in Miami, Florida, preparatory to his admission into higher institution. I used to go to see him every year and sometimes I used to go twice in a year, to see how he was doing in school. Anytime he was leaving for classes, I would stay in the library and wait for him till he was through and we would return home together. During one of my visits to him after he had spent a year and half in that school, the school’s Director of Students’ Affairs, one Mr Clayborne, a white American, saw me in the library and requested that I should meet him in his office. On getting to his office he asked me if my son was born in America. I replied that he was born in England. I asked him why the question and he replied that they were surprised at his level of his intelligence.
My son, Wole, is a highly intelligent boy. I’m yet to see his match. Things that he started doing at age 10 even adults could not do them. He passed out from the pre-university school which has been confirmed. He must have been preparing to go to the university when we could no longer get in touch with him. Shortly after I returned to Nigeria after Mr Clayborne asked me that question, Wole himself called me that I should send his birth certificate to him. He travelled to America with his Nigerian passport from here. I didn’t suspect anything and I sent him his British birth certificate in 1986 and he called to confirm that he had received it after about a week. And that was the last time I heard from him till today.
What efforts have you made to search for him?
His sister, who is a professor of Medicine, studied in Nigeria and the UK and she is currently in Florida, the same state where Wole lived. She went to the place Wole used to live, but all the structures there have been demolished. I also sent her the file inside which I had been keeping Wole’s records to also help her in the search for him but she could not find him. I was in the process of suing American Government at a time and I can still do it. They must account for the whereabouts of my son because my son got missing in their land. In international law, they must give account of his movement. But on a second thought, I decided to wait for a while. I went spiritual and I was told that he is alive but he is under a little bit of captivity.
With our findings, the captivity means that he may have been used for intelligence purposes in the USA. You can now relate this to when his school’s Director of Students’ Affairs, Mr Clayborne, confirmed his level of intelligence and asked me whether he was born in America, and shortly after Wole requested for his British birth certificate, and diplomatically, Britain and America are one. I was also told that when such people are being used for intelligence purposes in America or in England, they don’t allow them have contact with anybody until they get to the retirement age. But I want to see Wole before I die. He is my only son from his mother. I’m now 86 years old.
How often do you see your other children?
We do communicate often. Even, we do talk through video call on WhatsApp. And they do come to visit me here.
You said after obtaining a Law degree you decided to return to Nigeria because you love the country. Are you happy with the present situation of the country?
For me, we have never had it so bad since I was born. Anyone who returns home safely after leaving home in the morning is now a lucky man in Nigeria. We are facing many challenges now which do not make anybody happy. But I always have the hope that things will get better in Nigeria.
PUNCH.
The United Kingdom rejected at least 1,344,595 Nigerian visa applications between 2005 and the first quarter of 2026, official Home Office data reveals.
The rejection rate places Nigeria second globally in total visa refusals, behind only India and ahead of Pakistan and China, among others, as Nigerians alone accounted for 44.4 per cent of all UK visa rejections across Africa in the period.
Over the 21-year period, the UK also granted 2,723,558 visas to Nigerians, making it the third-highest total issued to any nationality in the world, behind only India and China.
The data showed that Nigeria was the largest single recipient of UK entry clearance visas in Africa, ahead of South Africa (1,638,538) and Egypt (695,606).
The figures are drawn from the UK Home Office’s entry clearance visa outcomes datasets, covering the first quarter of 2005 through the first quarter of 2026, obtained by The PUNCH from the UK government’s immigration system statistics data tables published in 2026.
The dataset covers all decisions across visitor, study, work, family, and other visa routes.
For Nigeria, the cumulative refusal rate over the 21-year period stood at 33.1 per cent, more than double the UK’s global average of 14.8 per cent.
Of the approximately 4.09 million Nigerian applications submitted, 4,068,153 received issued or refused decisions.
Nigeria’s 1.34 million refusals accounted for 15.2 per cent of all 8,829,638 UK visa refusals worldwide.
Over the two decades, approximately one in every seven UK visa rejections went to a Nigerian applicant, even as Nigerians submitted just 6.8 per cent of all global applications.
Visitor visas dominated both the grants and the rejections. Of the 1,344,595 refused applications for Nigerians, 1,127,088, or 83.8 per cent, fell in the visitor category, which carried a 37.1 per cent refusal rate over the full period.
Study visa rejections totalled 130,712 at a 20.5 per cent rate, work visa rejections amounted to 41,410 at 16 per cent, and family refusals were 12,217.
In 2025, visitor visa refusals alone stood at 66,143, against 105,039 issued, at a 38.6 per cent rejection rate.
By the first quarter of 2026, 13,779 visitor visa applications had already been refused at 37.5 per cent.
The period with the sharpest refusal rate was the mid-2000s, where, in 2006, the UK turned down 117,968 Nigerian applications, a rate of 49.6 per cent.
Refusals had also reached 111,058 in 2005 at a 44.4 per cent rate.
The numbers improved over the ensuing decade, with the refusal rate falling to 26.2 per cent in 2011 and eventually reaching its recent low of 21 per cent in 2023, when a post-pandemic surge drove a record 281,658 visa grants to Nigerian applicants.
It was the highest single-year total in the dataset, preceded by 249,332 grants in 2022.
However, the high acceptance rate did not last. In April 2024, the UK raised the minimum salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas from £26,200 to £38,700, a 48 per cent increase, and restricted dependent visa rights for students and care workers, which cut application volumes.
Nigeria’s work visa applications fell by about 68 per cent in 2024 after the salary threshold review rendered many previously qualifying roles ineligible, according to analysis by immigration research firm Intelpoint.
In 2024, 77,706 Nigerians were refused at a rate of 33.5 per cent, and in 2025, 77,571 were refused at 33.1 per cent.
By the first quarter of 2026, 16,692 had been refused at 35.4 per cent, higher than either of the preceding two full years.
In Africa, Nigeria topped the list of nationalities with the most UK visa rejections.
Of the 3,027,198 total UK visa refusals for all African nationalities over the period, Nigeria’s 1,344,595 constituted 44.4 per cent.
Ghana ranked second among African countries with 374,108 refusals at a 40.5 per cent rate, followed by Algeria (191,903 refusals at 41.7 per cent rate), Egypt (134,055 at 16.2 per cent rate), Zimbabwe (102,246 at 26 per cent rate), Morocco (93,722 at 22.2 per cent rate), Kenya (75,973 at 18.8 per cent rate), Uganda (64,759 at 34.9 per cent rate), South Africa (61,521 at 3.6 per cent rate), and Sudan (59,069 at 31 per cent rate).
Across all nationalities, the UK processed 60,063,475 visa applications between 2005 and Q1 2026, issuing 50,873,344 and refusing 8,829,638.
African applicants submitted 11,433,508 of those visa requests, making up nine per cent of the global total, yet received 3,027,198 refusals, representing 34.3 per cent of all UK rejections worldwide.
African nations accounted for nearly double the share of applications, yet generated only about half the volume of refusals.
Nigeria alone submitted 35.7 per cent of all African applications and claimed 32.7 per cent of all UK visas issued to Africans.
The UK entry clearance visa system requires citizens of non-exempt countries, including Nigeria, to obtain formal permission before arrival.
Under the points-based immigration framework introduced in 2008 and expanded after Brexit, applicants must demonstrate financial solvency, genuine intent to visit, and sponsorship for work and study routes.
Visitor visa decisions, which remain the most contested category, depend on entry clearance officers’ assessment of financial evidence and the applicant’s ties to their home country.
These criteria, reports say, have historically led to higher refusal rates among applicants from economies classified as high-emigration risk.
In the year ending September 2025, Nigerians ranked among the top five nationalities submitting asylum claims after entering the UK on a valid visa.
The Home Office said this pattern has led it to tighten controls on its visa and asylum grants to Nigerians.
Speaking to our correspondent, a former Nigerian Ambassador to Singapore, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, said the inclination to leave the country largely stems from Nigeria’s struggling economy, with many citizens taking the Japa route.
He argued that the japa trend may only be reduced by significant economic improvement in the nation.
“The urge to travel out of the country is, in itself, primarily a function of the performance of our national economy. The economic doldrums have pushed compatriots into Japa mode.
“The trend may, unfortunately, increase until there’s a turnaround in the performance of the national economy,” the ex-diplomat noted.
He said while the number of visa rejections is worrisome, the sheer volume of approvals balances it out.
Amedu-Ode added, “Even then, the simultaneous increase in approvals and rejection is a function of the spike in the number of our compatriots applying to travel to that zone of the world.”
According to a statement issued on Saturday by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, the reshuffle is part of efforts to strengthen national security and improve operational effectiveness across the country.
The statement added that the postings affected field commanders, school commandants and principal staff officers at the Army Headquarters.
It noted that the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, approved the strategic redeployment of senior officers, saying the move was aimed at enhancing the Army’s capacity to address emerging security challenges.
Under the new appointments, Major General WM Dangana has been named the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division Nigerian Army and Commander of Joint Task Force Operation ENDURING PEACE, replacing Major General EF Oyinlola.
Similarly, Major General EI Okoro has been appointed GOC 6 Division Nigerian Army and Land Component Commander of Joint Task Force South-South Operation DELTA SAFE, succeeding Major General EE Emeka.
The statement also announced the appointment of Major General JR Lar as Commander, Army Headquarters Garrison, while Brigadier General OM Oyekola will serve as Acting Military Secretary (Army). Brigadier General I Waziri retains his position as Chief of Staff in the Office of the Chief of Army Staff.
As part of efforts to strengthen operational leadership and combat readiness, Brigadier General IB Buhari was appointed Commander of Headquarters 63 Brigade, while Brigadier General K Rabiu was named Commander of Headquarters 31 Artillery Brigade.
In a move reflecting the Army’s growing emphasis on technology and emerging security threats, Major General SA Emmanuel was appointed Commander of the Nigerian Army Space Command.
Major General O Adegbe was also appointed Director of Intelligence and Security at Defence Headquarters.
In the area of military education and institutional development, Major General KE Chigbu was appointed Deputy Commandant of the National Defence College, while Major General SD Makolo became Commandant of the Nigerian Army Armour School.
Other appointments include Major General SO Adejimi as Commandant of the Nigerian Army School of Supply and Transport and Major General FS Etim as Chief of Training at the Headquarters Training and Doctrine Command, Nigerian Army (TRADOC).
Brigadier General U Ahmad has also been appointed Commandant of Depot Nigerian Army, Zaria.
The reshuffle further saw Major General KO Ukandu appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Post Housing Development Limited, while Major General AI Allison was named Managing Director of Defence Properties Limited.
The statement added, “The COAS charged the newly appointed senior officers to justify the confidence reposed in them by demonstrating exemplary leadership, professionalism, innovation and unwavering commitment to the Nigerian Army’s constitutional mandate of defending Nigeria’s sovereignty, protecting its territorial integrity and supporting civil authority in maintaining peace and security across the nation.
“The Nigerian Army remains resolute in its transformation drive and commitment to building a highly professional, combat-ready and people-oriented force capable of effectively addressing contemporary and future security challenges in pursuit of Nigeria’s national security objectives.”
The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has come under criticism on social media after encouraging Nigerians to consider small-scale businesses such as selling akara, roasted corn and kuli-kuli, saying they require little capital to start.
Tinubu spoke while addressing State House Correspondents after the Renewed Hope Initiative’s second-quarter meeting with wives of state governors, held at the State House, Abuja, on Wednesday.
She stated this while highlighting the efforts of the Renewed Hope Initiative to support vulnerable Nigerians through grants and other interventions.
According to her, beneficiaries of the initiative were given grants, not loans, to enable them to start businesses.
“We’re trying to give hope, and to start Akara business doesn’t take a lot of money. To start roasting corn, or somebody even said kuli kuli doesn’t take much. We didn’t give them a loan; we gave it to them as a grant.
“So we’ve encouraged Nigerians as best as we could. What is within our hands, I have given, and I keep giving,” she said.
The First Lady said the initiative had also supported interventions in healthcare, agriculture, education and social investment.
She said she donated N2bn to tackle tuberculosis, N1bn for breast cancer interventions and N500m to address malnutrition.
“I remember giving for TB. When I heard there were so many TB cases, I gave N2 billion. To breast cancer, I gave a billion. For food malnutrition, I gave half a billion.
“So those are the things we’ve been doing and making sure we can make sure that whatever this government is trying to do, it will see the light of day,” she stated.
Tinubu added that the initiative had also provided scholarships, ICT training and support for agriculture and social investment programmes.
She urged Nigerians not to lose hope despite the country’s economic challenges.
“The narrative has really changed, has changed to challenge the average man, whereas the average man is supposed to have hope. So I like the idea that Mr President say this is the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“We have to renew our hope, and that’s how we renew our hope, you know, and that’s what I have to tell Nigerians,” she said.
The remarks, however, triggered swift backlash on social media, with many Nigerians accusing the First Lady of trivialising the economic hardship facing ordinary citizens.
A user on X, @ADCVanguard_, said the video showed “exactly how disconnected Nigeria’s ruling class has become from the reality of ordinary citizens.”
Another user, @ireteeh, contrasted the initiative with private-sector efforts, saying, “The First Lady is empowering people with akara, corn, and kuli-kuli, while an ordinary citizen with limited resources is equipping people to build thriving careers in cybersecurity.”
A user identified as Nefertiti (@firstladyship) said, “Nigerians are in big trouble. There is fire on the mountain but the people are tired of running.”
See also Fire guts Anambra timber market
However, some social media users, especially on X, defended the First Lady, insisting there was nothing wrong with encouraging Nigerians towards such businesses.
A user, @Akikanju1568901, said akara is “one of the most lucrative businesses in Nigeria,” with a low startup cost and high profit margin, adding that “akara sellers sent many kids… to universities, built houses, bought cars.”
Another user, @PemiOladapo, said, “There’s dignity in labour… these are our local snacks! People should start it and scale it!”
A user, @TossynBankz_, however, argued that the criticism was not about the businesses themselves but about timing.
“Nobody is mocking akara, roasted corn, or kuli-kuli. Those are honest businesses. The problem is that Nigerians are asking for a better economy, more jobs, and lower prices. Telling people to start selling akara in this situation just feels like the government doesn’t understand what people are going through,” the user wrote.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
Scores of buildings obstructing natural waterways in Onitsha and Ogidi are facing demolition as the Anambra State Government steps up efforts to permanently tackle flooding and erosion in the affected communities.
The affected areas are located in Onitsha North, Onitsha South and Idemili North Local Government Areas, where authorities say illegal developments have worsened recurring flood disasters.
The state government also warned land grabbers and property speculators to desist from activities that contribute to environmental degradation and undermine approved urban development plans.
The warning came during a joint inspection of flood- and erosion-prone communities in Ogidi and Onitsha by the Commissioners for Works and Infrastructure, Physical Planning and Urban Development, and Environment.
The inspection team visited several vulnerable locations, including Ogidi Market, Building Materials Market, Opi Stream, the Marine Area and Trans-Nkisi Layout, to assess the extent of damage and identify areas requiring urgent intervention.
Speaking during the inspection, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Arc. Okey Ezeobi, said Phases Two and Three of the Ogidi Flood Control Project had been completed, while the design for Phase One was ready. He assured residents that the government was committed to providing a lasting solution to the perennial flooding in the area.
Ezeobi blamed much of the erosion damage on land grabbing, unregulated developments and alterations to approved master plans. He urged property owners to preserve designated drainage corridors and support ongoing government remediation efforts.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Barr. Chijioke Ojukwu, disclosed that investigations revealed that some traders at the Building Materials Market in Ogidi had erected plazas and shops on designated drainage channels, obstructing the natural flow of stormwater and worsening flooding.
He warned that all structures encroaching on waterways would be removed to enable the government reclaim and restore critical drainage networks in line with Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s vision of building clean, orderly and sustainable communities.
Ojukwu also expressed concern over the growing threat of gully erosion in Trans-Nkisi GRA, Onitsha, describing environmental degradation as a major challenge requiring urgent intervention and strict compliance with planning regulations.
The Commissioner for Environment, Barr. Clem Aguiyi, identified illegal construction, indiscriminate waste disposal and the destruction of vegetation that naturally controls erosion as major factors worsening flooding and erosion across the state.
He called on residents to take collective responsibility by planting erosion-control trees, protecting drainage infrastructure and supporting government initiatives aimed at achieving sustainable environmental management.
The International Human Right Protection Service (IHRPS), Anambra State Chapter, has raised concern over the plight of Nigerians allegedly stranded in South Africa amid renewed xenophobic attacks, urging the Federal Government to urgently evacuate affected citizens and provide each returnee with a N5 million resettlement package.
The group claimed that since the first evacuation flight, no further arrangements have been made to bring more Nigerians home, leaving many stranded despite continued attacks and growing fears for their safety.
It also appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, to intensify efforts to protect Nigerian citizens in South Africa and facilitate their safe return.
The organisation, in a statement signed by its Anambra State Chairman, Hon. Dr. Amb. Prince Ekwunife, and Director of Special Duties, Mr. Ikenna-Daniel Okonkwo, said many Nigerians had lost their livelihoods, sold their properties, and were living in fear following recurring xenophobic attacks. It urged the Federal Government to provide a N5 million starter package for each returnee to help them rebuild their lives.
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