By Ovie Okpare
Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has approved ₦175 million as resettlement grant for indigenes of the state who were recently evacuated from South Africa over the rising xenophobic attacks in the Southern African country.
Oborevwori said under the welfare package, every family of returnees would receive a ₦2 million as a resettlement grant, while the state government had placed them on monthly stipends to help them rebuild their lives.
Speaking on Friday during the presentation ceremony of a ₦175 million resettlement grant to the state indigenes evacuated from South Africa at Unity Hall, Government House, Asaba, the governor disclosed a monthly welfare allowance of ₦200,000 for each returnee and ₦300,000 for every affected family.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Hon. Johnson Erijo, Oborevwori announced that the payment of stipends to the affected families would commence in August 2026 and running until the expiration of his first tenure on May 29, 2027.
While describing the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians living in South Africa as a grave assault on human dignity, he noted that not Nigerian should be subjected to violence, intimidation or discrimination because of nationality
Oborevwori expressed sympathy for the victims over the trauma, injuries and financial losses they suffered.
The governor also praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for facilitating the safe evacuation of Nigerians affected by the attacks.
To further support their recovery, Oborevwori directed that all returnees receive free medical screening at state-owned hospitals and instructed the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Services to provide trauma counselling and psychosocial support.
He urged Deltans to welcome the returnees with compassion and solidarity, assuring the victims that the painful experience would not define their future.
“Our administration will continue to create opportunities for our people and support every effort to protect the rights and dignity of Nigerians wherever they reside,” the governor said.
Earlier, the Commissioner in charge of the Bureau for Special Duties, Hon. Ejiro Etacherure, described the return of the victims as a triumph of compassionate leadership and collaboration between the Federal and Delta State governments.
He recalled that reports of the attacks, which claimed lives and destroyed businesses and livelihoods, had caused deep concern across the state.
Etacherure said Governor Oborevwori immediately ordered that every returning Deltan be identified, documented and provided with the necessary support to ease their reintegration.
He encouraged the returnees to take advantage of the state’s empowerment and economic opportunities, assuring them that Delta remained a land of hope and opportunity.
Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mr. Jacob Agbada thanked the governor for what he described as an unprecedented intervention.
He said the ₦2 million grant and monthly stipends would help the victims recover from their losses and begin rebuilding their lives.
Agbada described the governor’s gesture as timely, compassionate and life-changing, expressing the returnees’ appreciation for the support received during one of the most difficult periods of their lives.
