Relief and Worry: Nigerian xenophobia survivor rebuilds life after returning home

When the flight carrying hundreds of Nigerians fleeing South Africa landed in Lagos last week, the first feeling of passenger Iniebong James was one of relief. Then came worry.

Nearly two weeks after his return to his homeland, James, 52, is trying to settle back into the life he left 10 years ago when he packed his suitcases and headed for South Africa on a six-month visitor’s visa.

He overstayed his visa and, despite lacking permission to stay, built a life as a car mechanic in the country’s Eastern Cape Province.

He was coping until he was attacked by anti-immigrant protesters in May, leaving him with a head wound, he said. The attack on James came in the midst of a sharp rise in anti-migrant sentiment in South Africa in recent months, when there have been marches calling for immigrants in the country illegally to leave and reports of violence against some foreign nationals.

Hundreds of migrants from Nigeria and several other African countries have been repatriated from South Africa recently by their Governments, citing threats of violence against them and a growing sense of tension.

South Africa has for years attracted foreign nationals from across Africa, including many from Nigeria, because of its relative wealth and opportunity. But outbursts of xenophobic violence against foreigners also have accompanied that sporadically. South Africans sometimes blame foreigners for high levels of unemployment and poverty, putting a strain on public services and for being involved in crime.

Before moving to South Africa, James worked as a truck driver for a haulage company in Lagos, but the company closed in 2016 when Nigeria’s economy entered its first recession in two decades. Unemployment worried him, but it was the days-long power outages that pushed him to finally leave.

To survive with an expired visa in South Africa, James said he had to bribe community police officers 200 rands a week to operate his shop. Twice, he paid immigration officers when he had been arrested. The AP could not verify this claim.

James said he is happy to be home as he now has his “freedom,” but the economy that made him leave is much worse and he is worried that getting a job will be harder.

“I would submit my CV if anybody can accept me, but I am still hoping for the Government to help me (with a job),” he said.

When Nigeria’s Government announced a repatriation flight last month to bring back its nationals, James thought he should come back home and try again.  He was one of the first group of Nigerians repatriated from South Africa on June 11.

Over the past decade, the economy has fallen, leading to far-reaching economic reforms by President Bola Tinubu in 2023. Those reforms included the removal of decades-long fuel subsidies that kept fuel prices low, influencing retail prices of nearly every good and service in the West African nation and allowing the value of the naira to be dictated by market forces.

The reforms have sparked skyrocketing inflation, which was compounded by the US-Iran war, bringing fuel prices to nearly USD 1 per litre. When James left in 2016, fuel cost 85 naira a litre ($0.1), and on the day he returned it was selling for 1,400 naira.