The Delta State Government has announced a long-term support package for 86 indigenes evacuated from South Africa following recent xenophobic attacks, with monthly allowances and financial assistance aimed at helping them rebuild their lives.
The package, unveiled on Friday in Asaba, includes a one-time grant of ₦2 million to each affected family, monthly stipends of ₦200,000 for individuals and ₦300,000 for families beginning in August 2026, as well as free medical treatment and psychological counselling.
The Chief of Staff to the Governor, Hon. Prince Johnson Erijo, who represented Governor Sheriff Oborevwori at the reception held at the Government House, said the monthly support would continue until the end of the governor’s first tenure.
He said the intervention was designed to help the returnees recover after losing businesses, property and other means of livelihood during the attacks in South Africa.
Welcoming the victims home, Erijo said the governor sympathised with their ordeal and assured them that the state government would not abandon them.
He said, “On behalf of the Government and people of Delta State, I welcome our brothers and sisters back home.
“We watched with sadness the xenophobic attacks against fellow Africans in South Africa. No one deserves to be attacked, displaced or forced to live in fear because of where they come from.”
He also expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Government for facilitating the safe return of the affected Nigerians.
According to him, all the returnees will undergo free medical screening at state-owned hospitals, while the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Services will provide trauma counselling to help them recover emotionally.
Erijo urged communities across Delta State to support and embrace the returnees as they begin life afresh.
He encouraged them not to allow the experience discourage them from pursuing their dreams, saying the resilience that took them abroad should now be used to build successful lives at home.
The Commissioner in charge of the Bureau for Special Duties, Mr Etacherure Terry, said the governor approved the intervention from his contingency fund after the State Emergency Management Agency had exhausted its allocation for the year.
According to him, Governor Oborevwori directed that every returning Deltan should be identified, documented and assisted.
“We receive you with open arms. You are home, you are safe and you are not alone,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the returnees, Mr Jacob Agbada from Isoko North Local Government Area described the attacks as a painful experience.
He said many Nigerians lost their shops, vehicles and businesses during the violence and advised those planning to relocate to South Africa to carefully consider the risks.
Another beneficiary, Mr Saturday Akanuche, thanked the Delta State Government for the support, saying the financial assistance had given him hope of starting a new business and rebuilding his life after losing everything during the attacks.
The reception ended with government officials reassuring the returnees of continued support as they reintegrate into their communities and rebuild their livelihoods.
