The Director General of the Agency, Alhaji Mustapha Habib Ahmed, while receiving the voluntary returnees on arrival, admonished them to adopt a positive attitude towards life’s challenges and also revealed that two out of the returnees, a male and a female, were having health challenges.
The National Emergency Management Agency of Nigeria (NEMA) on Wednesday announced that it has received a total of 159 stranded Nigerian returnees from Libya.
The returnees, who were assisted back to Nigeria arrived Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja on aboard Al Buraq Air with registration number 5A-DMG at 07:10 PM.
The profile of the returnees indicates that adult females are 80, four female children and one infant female, while the adult males are 67 with six male children and one male infant, bringing the total to 159 altogether.
The Director General, who was represented by the Lagos Territorial Office Coordinator, Ibrahim Farinloye said: “It is normal in life to struggle for better and improved livelihoods, but in the struggle, we must avoid endangering our lives. I wish to state that there is nowhere in the world that its citizens will not have to strive in attaining good life within the limited resources available in that country. Nigeria is well endowed far more than most countries that young Nigerians are travelling to in seeking greener pastures that are no longer there. What we need to do is for all of us to look inward and avail ourselves of the countless opportunities in Nigeria. The present government has been providing enabling environment for us to thrive and will continue to cooperate with development partners in creating level playing grounds for all Nigerians in the country.”
He advised the returnees to be advocates against irregular migration to other youths who may think there were greener pastures elsewhere.
The returnees were received by NEMA, along with other sister agencies such as Immigration Service, Refugee Commission, FAAN and the Nigeria Police.
