DFA urges OFWs in Nigeria to avail of repatriation program

The Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday called anew on overseas Filipino workers in Nigeria to avail of the government's repatriation program to avoid kidnapping incident similar to a Filipino chief electrician in the west African country.

"The DFA has voluntary repatriation program wherein we allot standby fund for those OFWs from Nigeria who would like to be repatriated to the Philippines. We would repatriate them at government's expense and that is ongoing until now," said Crescente Relacion, executive director of the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs.

He stressed that the government just wants to protect the safety of the Filipino workers as the abduction cases are reportedly growing in Nigeria, and that the latest kidnapping is the ninth incident involving a Filipino worker since last year.

Relacion also said that Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo has directed Philippine Ambassador to Abuja, Nigeria Masaranga Umpa to spread the word to all OFWs about the repatriation program.

At present, Relacion said that there are remaining 2,745 OFWs in Nigeria, mostly professionals and working in oil companies with substantial amount of salary.

This year, a total of 75 Filipino workers have been repatriated following the series of kidnappings of OFWs in the oil-rich state.

Bacani, who was released by his Nigerian captors in Port Harcourt, River State, Nigeria on Wednesday, is expected to arrive in Manila on Saturday, Oct. 13 at 8:45 a.m. via Kuala Lumpur.

He was seized by Nigerian armed group along with Colombian and Nigerian workers during an attack at Saipem's petrochemical complex in southern Niger Delta last Sept. 27.

Romulo also extended Manila's "profound gratitude" to the Nigerian government, Saipem and the Philippine embassy in Abuja for Bacani's eventual release.

-http://ofw.balita.ph

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