By Okey Ndiribe

ABUJA—Nigerians residing illegally in Switzerland have returned home under the Voluntary Return Programme introduced by the Swiss Department of Migration.

This was disclosed, yesterday, by Andre Kunzi, an official of the Switzerland Federal Office for Migration while on a courtesy call on the Chairperson of the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

The Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Hans-Rudolf Hodel, said the programme was introduced for Nigerian immigrants in Switzerland whose papers had expired and risked of deportation.

Hodel added that each of those affected was given between one and six thousand Swiss Francs to begin a small business when they returned to Nigeria.

He said the Swiss government had also introduced skills acquisition programme for those affected, adding that the scheme had impacted a lot on illegal immigrants.

According to Dabiri-Erewa, the programme started in 2005. She thanked the Swiss government for the initiative. She said the programme had changed the lives of affected Nigerians positively.