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The plan by Air Peace to evacuate Nigerians in South Africa from
September 6 suffered a setback as the majority of those interested in
the process have expired passports.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the airline with the
support of the Federal Government had scheduled to begin evacuating
Nigerians from South Africa from September 6.
This followed the ongoing xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other foreign nationals living in that country.
Mr Allen Onyema, the Chairman of Air Peace, said in a statement in
Lagos on Friday that most of the potential returnees were yet to renew
their documents.
Onyema said the airline had already placed its Boeing 777 aircraft
on standby and was only awaiting the go-ahead from the government.
“The Air Peace flight to South Africa will take off from the
Lagos Airport and also return to Lagos. As earlier stated, the take off
could be Sept 9 or Sept 10.
“This is because the Nigerians in South Africa have to obtain
travel certificates because many of them do not have travel documents
and their passports have expired.
“Air Peace has placed its aircraft, Boeing 777 for the flight
since September 3, but the Nigerian High Commission needed time to
register the Nigerians billed to travel.
“And, they are already doing that in Johannesburg and Pretoria.”
Onyema described the attacks against Nigerians and other Africans
in South Africa as unfortunate, especially with the alleged tacit
support being given to the perpetrators by the authorities.
He advised Nigerians without legal documents in South Africa to
take advantage of the evacuation flight to return to the country.
NAN reports that the Federal Government has pulled out of World
Economic Summit holding in Cape Town and also proposed recall of its
High Commission to South Africa, Ambassador Kabiru Bala.
The government had also issued travel advice to Nigerians intending to visit South Africa due to the xenophobic attacks.