‘Welcome Home’ Initiative: How X3M Ideas and NIHOTOUR Are Transforming Nigeria’s Repatriation Experience

As Nigerians began arriving back home on emergency flights following an ultimatum from anti-migrant groups in South Africa, Steve Babaeko, in collaboration with The Nigerian Institute of Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), recognised an important opportunity to serve his fellow citizens.

The CEO of X3M Ideas explains that his motivation stemmed from a profound sense of duty, one that transcended advertising and was rooted in hospitality. For Babaeko, it was a reminder that an agency has a responsibility to care for the community it serves.

This conviction inspired the creative agency’s partnership with NIHOTOUR to launch the ‘Welcome Home’ pilot programme, situated at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos. Instead of merely developing a messaging campaign around the crisis, X3M Ideas helped design a tangible, physical system that offers immediate support to returnees.

“This wasn’t built as a campaign about a crisis,” Babaeko said. “It was a hospitality agency deciding what it owes its own citizens the moment they land.”

What X3M has created is infrastructure — a physical space that returnees can walk through, utilise, and benefit from the moment they clear the arrival gate.

With the pilot now officially operational, NIHOTOUR directs returnees to immediate support services and issues them a Returnee Card. This card provides recipients with a free first night at partner hotels, assistance with transportation from the airport, and expedited support for business registration.

Additionally, the initiative features a dedicated Restart Desk, offering entrepreneurs and tradespeople referrals for jobs and business registration support. This operates alongside a public Homecoming counter, which tracks the total number of returnees welcomed, businesses restarted, and jobs facilitated.