The Nigerian Institute of Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) has announced the results of its Welcome Home pilot programme, which was launched at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in response to the repatriation of Nigerian citizens, following the xenophobic violence in South Africa.
This comes as hundreds of Nigerian citizens were repatriated via emergency flights after South Africa’s anti-migrant groups issued a June 30, 2026, deadline. NIHOTOUR, working with the creative agency, X3M Ideas, built a welcome system at the point of arrival rather than issue a statement alone.
“They said go home. We say welcome home,” the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NIHOTOUR, Dr Abisoye Fagade, said.
“That message, lit up at the gateway to Lagos for every Nigerian returning from South Africa, is more than a billboard. From the gateway to the arrival hall at MMIA, we are meeting our citizens with dignity, not just sympathy.”
Distinct from the standard immigration processing, the programme offers a branded welcome corridor at MMIA, directing returnees to immediate support alongside a Returnee Card offering a free first night at partner hotels, fast-tracked business registration support, and transport assistance.
In alignment with the federal focus on human capital development and economic empowerment, NIHOTOUR is also offering returnees free training, certification, and job placement within the hospitality and tourism sector, as well as capital support for those looking to start their own businesses.
Fagade added: “We are turning a difficult moment into real opportunity, right here at home, for Nigerians, by Nigerians.”
Furthermore, there will be a restart desk supporting returnee entrepreneurs and tradespeople with business registration and job placement referrals. Also, there is a public homecoming counter tracking returnees welcomed, businesses restarted, and jobs facilitated.
According to the Group Chief Executive Officer and Chief Creative Officer of X3M Ideas, Steve Babaeko, “this wasn’t built as a campaign about a crisis. It was a hospitality agency deciding what it owes its own citizens, the moment they land.”
With the Welcome Home programme launched as a pilot at MMIA Lagos, NIHOTOUR has stated its intention to evaluate expansion to additional airports based on pilot outcomes.
