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Nigerians Repatriated from South Africa Cite Safety Gains but Face Higher Fuel Costs and Job Shortages
Hundreds returned on a June 11 flight after anti-migrant protests; returnees cite fuel prices that rose from 85 naira to 1,400 naira per liter since 2016.
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A flight carrying hundreds of Nigerians repatriated from South Africa landed in Lagos on June 11. Iniebong James, 52, arrived on that flight after living in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province for a decade. James left Nigeria in 2016 on a six-month visitor’s visa and worked as a car mechanic after overstaying.
He had previously driven trucks for a Lagos haulage company that closed the same year Nigeria entered its first recession in two decades. In May 2026, James was attacked by anti-immigrant protesters and sustained a head wound. 14) per week to operate his shop and paid immigration officers on two occasions after arrests.
Nigeria’s government announced the repatriation flight in May 2026. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that returnees would receive appropriate assistance and support before reuniting with families, but did not respond to questions about long-term plans.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu said through representatives that “the price of your peace, and the safety of your children, is worth any sacrifices you have to make, or any assets you have to leave behind when fleeing a conflict zone or hate-infested environment.
Omotola Adeniyi moved to South Africa in 2015 at age 8 and lived there 11 years. She accepted a government airline ticket after saving proved insufficient and said home now feels foreign. 10).
03). President Bola Tinubu’s 2023 reforms removed decades-long fuel subsidies and allowed the naira to float. James said he is happy to have his “freedom” but added that the economy is worse and he hopes the government will help him find work.
Margaret Monyani, founder of OLAM Africa Research Institute, said “reparation is not transformation” and asked what home means for returnees. South Africa has long drawn migrants from across Africa because of its relative wealth, yet periodic outbursts of xenophobic violence have also occurred, with some South Africans blaming foreigners for unemployment, poverty, and crime.
