111 More Nigerians Land from South Africa, and Our Government Has Now Done 15 Rounds of “Come Back, We Beg You”

On Thursday, South African Airways Flight SA060 touched down in Lagos carrying 111 Nigerians: 44 men, 23 women and 44 children. Yes, children. Forty-four of them, who were probably in the middle of a school term and a very normal life, until grown-ups started burning vehicles and looting foreign-owned shops in Johannesburg and Durban, according to Reuters, as cited by PM News.

This is the 15th evacuation since June. Fifteenth! At this point it is not an evacuation, it is a bus route. If the Foreign Affairs Ministry opens a loyalty card, the 16th ride is free.

The running total is 2,037 people. Imagine the “Welcome Home” banner budget alone.

Now the funding, because Nigerians love a “who paid?” conversation. The Federal Government says it fully covered the trip for 1,388 of those 2,037. The Redeemed Christian Church of God put in $265,854 for one-way tickets, with a pledge to cover 500 people, 318 so far. Reports differ on who paid for this particular flight, so I will not choose a side, since I like to sleep at night.

But the real point is this: the church is buying one-way tickets. ONE-WAY. When Pastor Adeboye’s people do a booking, they know where the story ends. There is no return leg. That is not a flight, that is a testimony.

The ministry’s statement, signed off by spokesperson Oluwafemi Adeniyi, advises Nigerians still in South Africa to “obey local laws, remain vigilant and prioritise their safety.” My dear, that advice is lovely. But if someone is burning cars on your street, “prioritise your safety” is just “run” wearing a tie.

The government also says it will “engage South African authorities” on xenophobia and Afrophobia.

Good. We have also been engaging since 2019, and the engagement is so long it should have a pension.

The reception committee was serious, too: Foreign Affairs, NiDCOM, NAPTIP, NEMA and others. Picture it. A whole federal buffet of agencies at the arrival hall, each holding a clipboard and a stern face. Nobody in the reports I read says what the returnees themselves felt, or what they were handed besides the ride, which is the part I would actually like to hear.

Because here is what gets me. These people left Nigeria looking for something better, and now they are home, and the same economy that pushed them out is waiting at the airport with a “welcome back” face.

Nobody is saying home is bad. We are saying home should be the first-choice option, not the emergency exit.

Anyway, if you are in South Africa, please be safe. If you are in Nigeria, please let us fix things so that the next plane is not number 16.