ABUJA, Sept 18 (NNN-NAN) — South African authorities have granted landing permit to Air Peace Flight B777 to enable it to evacuate some 320 Nigerians escaping from xenophobia in that country, a Nigerian consular officer has confirmed.
Godwin Adama, Nigeria’s Consul-General in Johannesburg, made the confirmation in a telephone interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday.
Adama spoke against the background of a complaint by the Managing Director of Air Peace, Allen Onyema.
Onyema had said that the refusal of South Africa to grant the permit made it impossible for the flight to leave Lagos at 1 a.m. for Johannesburg to convey the second batch of returnees.
But Adama said the permit had been granted the airline and that the flight would be late in the night of Tuesday.
Adama said buses provided to convey Nigerians wanting to return home were still at the mission premises and everyone was there.
He said the next batch of evacuation would be based on the Federal Government’s directives. — NNN-NAN
