Supports Each Family With ₦1m
The Enugu State Government has received 112 indigenes returning home from South Africa due to the current xenophobic attacks.
Speaking to the returnees at the International Conference Center, ICC, Enugu on Thursday, the Enugu State Governor, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, condemned the attacks, commended the Federal Government’s intervention, and urged the returnees not to be afraid to start again.
Onyia further revealed that about 42 additional families are still being profiled by the state government in conjunction with the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM.
“The renewed attacks and hostility directed at black African migrants in parts of South Africa is condemnable and have forced many Nigerians to reconsider their safety and return home,” SSG says.
“Some may have left behind businesses, possessions, investments, friendships, and years of work. And so, while there is happiness in seeing you alive and safely back on Enugu soil, we also understand that coming home under circumstances you did not choose can carry its own pain.”
“The question before us is not simply, ‘How do we receive our people back?’ The bigger question is: ‘How do we help them begin again?’ That is why today’s reception must go beyond photographs and handshakes. It must mark the beginning of reintegration. It must mark the beginning of rebuilding.”
Prof Onyia further revealed the government’s support for the returnees; there were 112 individuals from 77 families. Each family was given ₦ 1 million in support.
“Importantly, the government must do more than make speeches. It must put something tangible in your hands. That is why we have approved a ₦1 million seed fund for each returning family represented here today. Let me stress the word seed. A seed is not the harvest. It is the beginning of the harvest.”
“This support is, therefore, not being presented as compensation for everything you may have lost. It is not intended to replace the businesses, properties, or investments that some of you may have left behind. Rather, it is a modest but deliberate expression of solidarity from your state,” the SSG reiterates.
“The important thing is that we want this intervention to move you from returning home to rebuilding at home. And the Government of Enugu State will continue to explore ways of connecting you with relevant opportunities, programmes and institutions that can support that journey.”
“I want to make one more appeal to you: Do not discard what you learned abroad. Bring it home. Bring the discipline. Bring the ideas. Bring the networks. Bring the entrepreneurial experiences. Bring the knowledge of markets and technologies. Bring the things that worked. And even bring the lessons from the things that did not work.”
“This experience must mark the beginning of a new conversation about the opportunities that exist here in Enugu, because the Enugu of today is changing. Our administration is deliberately working to create an environment where people can live, work, invest, build businesses, and raise families with greater confidence.”
“We are expanding infrastructure. We are improving connectivity. We are strengthening healthcare. We are investing in education and human capital. We are opening new possibilities in agriculture, tourism, technology, enterprise, and industry,” SSG explained.
In her response, one of the returnees, Chidimma Ogbonna, thanked Governor Peter Mbah for his concern and for the support extended to them. “Your kindness gave hope and this opportunity. Thank you for welcoming us home and for believing in us,” she stated
Another returnee, Cosmas Okwor, thanked Mbah for making them feel accepted, stressing, “We are hopeful again.”
Chairman of the Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers, HRH Igwe Samuel Ikechukwu Asadu, encouraged them to pick up the pieces of their lives and forge ahead. “Put yourself in a position to win. New opportunities beckon,” he stressed.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Diaspora, Barr. Olangwa Ezekwu commended the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu and the Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa-led NIDCOM for helping Nigerian states bring their people home safely.
The SA to the Governor also thanked Governor Peter Mbah for being a father and for the support he provided for the families.
According to Human Rights Watch, vigilantes in South Africa carried out violent xenophobic attacks targeting African and Asian foreign nationals with little or insufficient apparent response from the police and other authorities.
In April and May 2026, a citizen-led movement, March and March, that advocates more stringent immigration enforcement in South Africa organized demonstrations against undocumented migrants in major cities, including Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Durban, with violent and sometimes fatal results; many foreign nationals died in these attacks.
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