Freshly repatriated Imo indigenes from South Africa have appealed to Governor Hope Uzodinma to include them in the state’s ₦1 million reintegration grant for returnees.
The group gathered around the Imo State Government House in Owerri on Thursday, saying their names were missing from the list of beneficiaries who received the earlier round of assistance.
The returnees said they travelled to Owerri from different communities across the state to draw attention to their situation and seek verification for inclusion in the programme.
Their appeal comes after the Imo State Government announced in June that each Imo indigene repatriated from South Africa would receive ₦1 million to help them rebuild their lives following their return.
The returnees said they were part of the recent evacuation of Nigerians from South Africa amid renewed xenophobic attacks and difficult conditions affecting foreign nationals. They maintained that many returned without stable jobs or enough resources to restart their lives.
According to the group, the problem was not necessarily that the government had cancelled the intervention, but that their particular batch was allegedly not captured during the earlier profiling and disbursement exercise.
They initially waited around the Love Garden near the Government House for officials to address their complaint. After receiving advice on how to formally present their grievance, they moved to the Government House gate, where they displayed placards and submitted a written appeal containing the names and details of the affected returnees.
A senior government official later came out to meet the group, listened to their concerns and assured them that their request would be presented to Governor Uzodinma for consideration. The returnees subsequently dispersed peacefully, expressing hope that the governor would respond favourably.
The development raises questions about how effectively successive batches of returnees are being identified and verified under Nigeria’s South Africa repatriation programme. NiDCOM has previously confirmed that hundreds of Nigerians were brought back in different batches, with Imo indigenes among those expected to receive state-level support.
For the affected returnees, the issue goes beyond the ₦1 million payment. They say they returned home after difficult experiences in South Africa and now need assistance to rebuild their livelihoods.
A fresh verification exercise and a transparent beneficiary list could help determine whether eligible returnees were genuinely left out and give those affected a formal route to present their documentation.
For now, the returnees have left the Government House peacefully, waiting for the state government to decide whether their names will be added to the reintegration programme.
