When the aircraft carrying dozens of Nigerians among them 41 Edo indigenes touched down in the nation’s commercial capital city of Lagos, after fleeing xenophobic violence in South Africa, many stepped onto home soil with little more than the clothes they were wearing. The homes and businesses they had spent years building were gone – dreams shattered overnight. Some returned with a single suitcase, while others came back with nothing at all. They were not thinking about politics or protocol. They wanted safety, dignity, and a chance to begin again: at Home!
For many of those of Edo State origin, that chance appeared to arrive on Monday when Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo received the returnees at the Festival Hall of the Government House in Benin City and announced a ₦1 million grant for each person to support their resettlement.
The governor said the money was intended to help the returnees secure accommodation and meet immediate needs while the state government developed longer-term programmes to help them rebuild their lives. The announcement drew an emotional response from many in the hall, some of whom had endured weeks of fear before finally making the journey home.
Addressing the gathering, Governor Okpebholo told the returnees that their future should not be defined by the violence they had escaped.
“Your success begins today. Many of you possess knowledge and skills in different areas. Once you identify what you want to do, come to us. We will give you a soft loan to start with because we want you to fully reintegrate into society,” he said.
The governor stressed that the state’s intervention would not end with the cash grant. According to him, the government intends to provide soft loans and other forms of support to help those affected establish businesses, regain financial independence, and settle back into their communities.
“Between now and tomorrow, you will receive that money so you will not be stranded. There is no place better than home. Nobody will chase you away from here. We have peace here. Edo is safe, and Nigeria is safe,” he added.
His remarks reflected an effort to reassure people who had watched years of hard work disappear during the attacks in South Africa. While acknowledging the scale of their losses, the governor said preserving their lives remained more important than replacing property.
“They may have taken everything away from you, but your life is more important than the things they took. As a government, we will continue to support our people wherever they are. If they are in distress, we will rescue them and ensure they do not go through such experiences again,” he said.
Governor Okpebholo also recalled Nigeria’s support for South Africa during the struggle against apartheid, saying Nigerians had historically stood by South Africans during difficult periods. Despite the attacks, he urged the returnees not to allow bitterness to define their future or replace one form of hatred with another.
The stories shared by the returnees illustrated the human cost of the violence far more vividly than official statistics ever could.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Riches Evbagbe Unubun from Igor/Emuhi in Ekpoma said many had returned home after losing virtually everything they owned while sojourning in South Africa. He said some of them operated successful businesses and accumulated significant assets over several years before the violence erupted. Others had built homes, raised families, and established lives they believed would last.
Instead, many fled with only a few personal belongings. According to Unubun, some returned with what he described as “one luggage which is our breath,” a phrase that captured the reality of escaping with nothing except life itself.
He said there were people who had once owned several vehicles, thriving businesses and comfortable homes, but were now starting over from scratch. Some families, he added, also suffered bereavement during the crisis.
Unubun recalled the uncertainty surrounding the evacuation, describing the final days before departure as a period of anxiety and despair. Even after boarding the aircraft to Nigeria, many remained unsure what awaited them.
He said that uncertainty began to lift when officials from the Edo State Government met them at the airport in Lagos and asked a simple question: Who among them was from Edo State?
“This has not happened before. Where does this happen? How does it happen?” he asked.
For many of the returnees, he said, that moment represented the first sign that someone had recognised their suffering and was prepared to help.
Unubun thanked the Director-General of the Edo State Migration Agency, Dr Lucky Agazuma, and officials who coordinated the reception, saying their intervention restored hope to people who had almost lost confidence in the future.
He also pledged that many of the returnees intended to register to vote after settling down because they wanted what he described as the positive developments taking place in Edo State to continue.
The assistance announced by the Edo State Government forms part of a broader national effort to support Nigerians returning from South Africa following the latest wave of xenophobic violence. Several state governments, faith-based organisations, and private companies have also announced financial assistance and relief packages aimed at helping affected citizens restart their lives.
Federal officials have repeatedly stressed that the returnees were not deported because of criminal offences but voluntarily returned after the violence made their continued stay unsafe. The federal government has also emphasised that successful reintegration requires cooperation between governments, local communities, humanitarian organisations, and development partners.
Within Edo State, the Migration Agency has been profiling returnees to identify their skills, business backgrounds, and immediate needs. According to Dr. Agazuma, the exercise is intended to ensure that government support goes beyond emergency relief and provides practical opportunities for long-term economic recovery.
For many migration experts, reintegration extends beyond providing financial assistance. It also involves helping returnees regain confidence, reconnect with their communities, and rebuild livelihoods after traumatic experiences. The emotional scars left by displacement often last much longer than the immediate financial losses.
That reality was evident throughout Monday’s reception. While the ₦1 million grant attracted attention, many returnees said what mattered most was the feeling that their government had acknowledged their suffering and responded quickly.
The simple act of sending officials to identify Edo indigenes immediately after their arrival in Nigeria carried powerful symbolism for people who had spent weeks feeling abandoned and vulnerable.
For those who had escaped violent attacks, the reception at Government House represented more than a government program. It became a reminder that home remained a place where they belonged.
The financial support announced by Governor Okpebholo will not replace businesses destroyed in South Africa or restore years of investment lost to violence. It can not erase painful memories or undo the trauma experienced by families forced to flee. Rebuilding lives after such experiences will require sustained support, determination, and time.
However, the grants and promised soft loans offer something equally important: an opportunity to begin again. Whether the program succeeds will ultimately depend on effective implementation and continued support in the months ahead.
For now, the returnees have exchanged uncertainty for hope. After surviving violence thousands of kilometres from home, they have returned to a state that says it is prepared to stand with them as they rebuild their lives. In a story defined for weeks by fear, displacement, and loss, that commitment may prove to be the beginning of a different future.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ebojele, PhD in public administration, is Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State
