AWC PUBLIC AFFAIRS DESK
The gesture by the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, to support Edo indigenes among Nigerians evacuated from South Africa following recent xenophobic tensions deserves commendation.
Reports indicate that more than 300 Nigerians returned home in the latest batch of evacuations, with some Edo indigenes among them. The support package is aimed at helping the returnees rebuild their lives, restart businesses, and regain stability after the difficult experiences they encountered abroad.
Earlier, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State extended a similar humanitarian intervention to Imo indigenes who returned in the first batch of evacuations from South Africa, providing each beneficiary with ₦1 million as a resettlement support fund.
Beyond politics, these interventions highlight an important responsibility of government — protecting citizens wherever they are and ensuring that those who return home in distress receive support to begin again.
While the long-term solution remains addressing the root causes of migration challenges, economic hardship, and xenophobic tensions, immediate assistance to affected citizens is a welcome step toward restoring hope and dignity.
A nation is judged not only by how it sends its people into the world, but also by how it receives them when they come back home.
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#HumanitarianSupport
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#EdoState
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