The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) received 159 Nigerians stranded in Libya, who were assisted back home.
The returnees, according to NEMA, arrived the Cargo Wing, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos around 7:10pm yesterday on-board an Al Buraq Air with registration number 5A-DMG.
NEMA’s Director-General Mustapha Habib Ahmed said the returnees comprised 80 adult females and seven girls, adding that there were 67 men, six male children and an infant boy.
Ahmed, who was represented by the Lagos Territorial Office Coordinator, Ibrahim Farinloye, said: “It is normal in life to struggle for better and improved livelihoods, but in the struggle we must avoid endangering our lives.
“I wish to state that there is nowhere in the world that its citizens will not have to strive in attaining good life within the limited resources available in that country.
“Nigeria is well-endowed far more than most countries that young Nigerians are travelling to in seeking greener pastures that are no longer there.
“What we need to do is for all of us to look inward and avail ourselves of the countless opportunities in Nigeria.
“The present government has been providing enabling environment for us to thrive and will continue to cooperate with development partners in creating level-playing grounds for all Nigerians in the country.”
He urged the returnees to lend their voices to the campaign against irregular migration so that other youths can learn from their experience.