Nigerian returnee, Okafor Ugochukwu, has narrated how he was forced to flee South Africa without his two daughters after surviving repeated xenophobic a.ttacks that destroyed his businesses and left him with nothing.
Speaking with Vanguard on Tuesday, the Anambra State native said he travelled out of Nigeria in 2014 in search of greener pastures and spent about a decade living and running businesses in South Africa.
According to him, he passed through Tanzania and Mozambique before settling in Johannesburg, where he established a clothing business.
“I’ve been there like 10 years. I left Nigeria in 2014 because I wanted to travel. I have been to Tanzania, I have been to Mozambique, but I spent my good 10 years in South Africa. I was doing business there. I had a boutique where I sold clothes,” he said.
Ugochukwu explained that he had planned to return to Nigeria in 2017, but passport-related immigration issues prevented him from travelling. After his flight ticket expired, he invested the remaining money in another business.
“I bought my ticket in 2017 because I wanted to return home, but I was denied because of issues with my passport. The ticket expired, so I used the little money I had left to start another business,” he said.
He recalled that his first business was destroyed during xenophobic attacks in 2018. With financial assistance from relatives in Nigeria, he started another business selling earphones, hair products and other accessories, but that business was also wiped out in another a.ttack.
“They came to my place. They burnt my place and destroyed my business. I lost everything. I had no choice but to run because my life is very important,” he said.
The latest vio.lence, he said, forced him to abandon everything and flee South Africa with nothing.
“I left my place without anything. I left broke. My house and everything were destroyed. I’m stranded. I’m homeless. I’m down,” he said.
Ugochukwu described leaving behind his two daughters as the most painful part of his escape.
“I do have two girls back there. I’m so sorry and disappointed,” he said.
He said he sought refuge at the Nigerian Consulate in Pretoria before being evacuated to Nigeria, expressing gratitude to the Federal Government for making his return possible.
“Thank God for our President for making it possible for us to return to Nigeria because when there is life, there is hope,” he said.
Ugochukwu also dismissed claims that Nigerians are responsible for unemployment and crime in South Africa.
“The only thing they tell us is that we are taking their jobs and taking their women. But I don’t understand that because most Nigerians there have their own businesses. We have our own shops. We are there to survive,” he said.
He added that many Nigerians are unfairly stereotyped as criminals.
“Sometimes they think everybody is a drug dealer or involved in illegal things. But no, we are all there to survive and make an honest living,” he said.
Describing the situation faced by many foreigners, he said, “Staying in South Africa is like a war zone. When your fellow blacks see you as a threat and keep telling you to go back to your country, life becomes very difficult.”
Appealing for support, Ugochukwu urged the Nigerian government to assist returnees in rebuilding their lives.
“I’m back in Nigeria to start my life again. I just hope and pray that the government will assist us in one way or another so we can get back on our feet. Even though I lost everything, I’m happy to be back home because when there is life, there is hope,” he said.
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