Among them is 52-year-old Iniebong James, who arrived in Lagos earlier this month on a government-organized repatriation flight after spending a decade in South Africa. While relieved to have escaped an increasingly hostile environment, he now faces many of the same economic pressures that originally drove him to leave Nigeria.

James moved to South Africa in 2016 after losing his job as a truck driver during Nigeria’s first recession in more than two decades. Settling in Eastern Cape Province, he worked as a car mechanic despite overstaying a six-month visitor visa.

His return followed an attack by anti-immigrant protesters in May that left him with a head injury. The incident occurred amid rising anti-foreigner sentiment in South Africa, where demonstrations demanding the removal of undocumented migrants have intensified in recent months.

South Africa has long attracted migrants from across the African continent due to its comparatively developed economy and broader employment opportunities. However, periodic outbreaks of xenophobic violence have repeatedly exposed tensions over unemployment, poverty, public services and crime.

Back in Nigeria, James says he faces a more difficult economic landscape than the one he left behind. Inflation has surged following sweeping economic reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu in 2023, including the removal of fuel subsidies and the liberalization of the national currency.

The resulting increase in living costs has been compounded by global energy market disruptions linked to the recent US-Iran conflict. According to James, fuel prices that stood at about 85 naira per liter when he departed Nigeria have climbed to approximately 1,400 naira per liter upon his return.

Seeking employment, he says he hopes government assistance programs promised for returning citizens will help him rebuild his life.

Nigeria’s government has stated that repatriated nationals will receive support before reuniting with their families, though officials have not publicly outlined long-term reintegration measures.

Migration experts say returning home after years abroad often presents challenges that extend beyond transportation and immediate assistance.

“Repatriation is not transformation,” said Margaret Monyani, founder of the Johannesburg-based OLAM Africa Research Institute. She noted that migrants who have spent years building lives elsewhere frequently struggle to reconnect economically and socially upon their return.

For younger returnees, the adjustment can be equally difficult.

Omotola Adeniyi returned to Nigeria after spending 11 years in South Africa, where she moved as a child with her mother. Although she completed secondary education there, she said finding employment proved difficult as a foreign national.

Unable to secure stable work and lacking the resources to finance her own return journey, she accepted Nigeria’s offer of repatriation. Now back in Lagos, she says the country feels unfamiliar after more than a decade abroad.

The wave of anti-migrant protests in South Africa has prompted diplomatic responses from several African governments, including Nigeria, Ghana and Malawi, which have repatriated hundreds of their citizens in recent weeks.

Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, defended the government’s repatriation efforts, describing the safety of citizens as the primary concern amid rising tensions.

Analysts note that despite recurring xenophobic incidents, South Africa remains a major destination for African migrants because of its relatively advanced infrastructure, stronger institutions and broader economic opportunities compared with many neighboring countries.

The experience of returnees such as James underscores a broader dilemma facing many African migrants: balancing security concerns abroad against economic hardship at home, with neither option offering an easy path to stability.