• Doles out N77m to 77 returnee families
•“Don’t be afraid to start again,” governor charges
•Returnees: We feel at home
Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, on Thursday, welcomed home 77 Enugu State families made up of 112 indigenes forced home by the unabating xenophobic attacks in South Africa, assuring them that the state would stand in solidarity with them every step of the way.
Mbah also used the occasion, which took place at the International Conference Centre, Enugu, to dole out a support of ₦1m to each of the 77 families, noting that the administration was still profiling about 42 additional returnee families in conjunction with the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM.
The governor, represented by the Secretary to Enugu State Government (SSG), Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, condemned the attacks, but urged them not to be afraid to start again.
“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.
“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.
“Importantly, government must do more than make speeches. It must put something tangible in your hands. That is why we have approved a N1 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 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,” Mbah stated.
He encouraged them not to lose hope, but to deploy the experiences and skills acquired in South Africa to bear in exploring the new opportunities in their home state.
“I want to make one more appeal to you: Do not discard what you learnt 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,” he concluded.
In her response, one of the returnees, Chidimma Ogbonna, thanked Governor Peter Mbah for his concern and for the support, saying “we feel at home.”
“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.”
They expressed joy over the improved infrastructure and security in the state, saying they would aid their resettlement.
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 to have their people safely home. She thanked Governor Mbah for being a father to all.