Xenophobia: Air Peace Offers Free Evacuation Of Nigerians From South Africa

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace Limited, Allen Onyema, has volunteered the airline to evacuate Nigerians from South Africa.

The spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ferdinand Nwonye, disclosed this development in a statement issued in Abuja.

Nwoye said: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to inform the public that following the recent unfortunate xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals, including Nigerians in South Africa, the proprietor of Air Peace Airlines, Chief Allen Onyema, has volunteered to send an aircraft from Friday 6th September 2019, to evacuate Nigerians who wish to return to Nigeria free of charge.”

The government further advised the public to inform their relatives in South Africa to take advantage of the laudable gesture.

“Interested Nigerians are therefore advised to liaise with the High Commission of Nigeria in Pretoria and the Consulate General of Nigeria in Johannesburg for further necessary arrangement,” he also said.

Onyama in a letter addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed his company’s readiness to evacuate Nigerians who are willing to leave the country, adding that the airline would dispatch its flights to Johannesburg once the arrangement had been completed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He said: “The xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa is an unfortunate incident, and we cannot fold our hands and watch our fellow Nigerians be killed by South Africans.

“To this end, Air Peace is willing to support the Nigerian government’s effort in this matter by deploying our B777aircraft immediately to South Africa to bring Nigerians back home.

“We humbly plead with the Federal government to please inform the Nigerian Embassy and the South African government to rescue the stranded Nigerians by transporting them to the airport to allow Air Peace evacuate them back to Nigeria,” the airline said.

Reacting to the proposal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, welcomed the offer and said it would be a relief to government and Nigerians in South Africa who might be stranded