Plans by Nigeria to evacuate her citizens who may be under-going stress in South Africa following renewed attacks by mobs in that country may wait for now. Air Peace who offered the humanitarian assistance is ready but majority of those interested in the process have expired passports.
Agency reports say that the airline with the support of the Federal Government had scheduled to begin evacuating Nigerians from South Africa from Friday September 6.
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.
“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.
Earlier, the Federal Government pulled out of the World Economic Forum holding in Cape Town and also proposed recall of its High Commission to South Africa, Kabiru Bala.
