The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, have received 105 Nigerians stranded from Chad at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano.
Dr Nuradeen Abdullahi, NEMA Coordinator Kano Territorial Office, made this known while receiving the returnees in Kano.
He said that the stranded Nigerians arrived at the International Wing of the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport at about 10p.m with Boeing 737-7k9 ASKY Airlines operated by Ethiopian airlines KP9401 with registration number ET-ANH.
“The returnees were brought back to Kano under the care of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) from N’djamena through a voluntary repatriation programme.
“The programme is meant for distressed Nigerians who left the country to seek greener pastures in various European countries but can’t afford to return when their journey became frustrated,“ he said.
Mr Abdullahi said that the returnees were made up of 24 male adults, 23 female adults and 58 children.
“The returnees are from Katsina, Kano, Adamawa, Maiduguri, Yobe and Taraba among other others.
”They will be undergoing a four-day vocational skills training and will be provided with capital to enable them set up their businesses and become self-reliant,” he said.
He advised the returnees to be advocates of the campaign against irregular migration.
The Coordinator also called on Nigerians to avoid endangering their lives by travelling to seek for greener pastures in other countries, adding that no country is better than our country Nigeria.
Mr Abdullahi noted that the agency between May and October 2022, received 560 Nigerians stranded from Agadas Niger Republic, Khartoum Sudan and were trained on various skills acquisition.
Recounting her ordeal, a returnee Fanne Abba, a mother of two from Borno said she travelled to Chad for three years to seek for greener pasture with her two kids.
”There was no peace in my village Gambarun Gana, Boko Haram did not let us stay because everyone was scared so I travelled to Chad thinking things would be better.
“I did dry cleaning service with other home service jobs. things were no longer easy. I decided to come back home,” she said.
Another returnee, Aminu Musa, from Kano State, said he travelled to Libya to seek for greener pastures because he was an orphan and his sick mother could not cater for the family.
“My father died three years ago and things were bad for our family.
“During my stay in Libiya for two years, my friend was kidnapped there.
Officials of SEMA, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs, DSS and Nigeria Red Cross and DSS were at the airport to receive and clear the returnees.
NAN
