At the risk of being accused of Afghanistanism (that is the journalistic equivalent of vigorously treating ringworm at the expense of leprosy) I am more interested in joining issues with the South African government today than in commenting on the bombing campaign of the Boko Haram.



Suffice it to say the obvious about the Boko Haram issue: we are faced with war, nothing less. With the bombing of the UN offices in Abuja, the war has now been internationalized. There is an elected government in power in Nigeria. Let them justify their claim to being in charge. The less said the better.

Now to the annoying issue of South Africa's open condemnation of Nigeria's support for the Libyan rebels. As Libyan rebels breached Colonel Muamar Gaddafi's official residence in Tripoli, the Nigerian government formally recognised the National Transitional Council (NTC) of Libya as that country's legitimate representative. Nigeria's Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, had told reporters in Abuja that Nigeria would back Libya in its bid to install democratic rule and enforce the rule of law under the leadership of the transitional council. He urged the NTC headed by Mr. Mustafa Mohammed Abdul Jalil to be magnanimous in victory and pursue programmes aimed at post-conflict reconciliation and nation building.

But the Secretary-General of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa, Mr. Gwede Mantashe, criticised the decision at a press conference in Johannesburg. "Nigeria is jumping the gun in recognising the rebels as representatives of Libya. The AU position stays," Mantashe said. The South African government itself took the same position as the ANC, except that its language was more diplomatic.

I am disturbed at the anti-Nigerian trend that has been nurtured in South Africa since the end of apartheid. More than most countries on the African continent, Nigeria was in the forefront of the anti-apartheid struggles. General Murtala Mohammed made the liberation struggle in southern Africa one of the cardinal programmes of his administration and every Nigerian government since his unfortunate assassination has toed that path.



In the seventies many of us schooled with South Africans and nationals of other southern African countries like Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Namibia who were given full scholarships by the Nigerian government. They were far richer than us because our government loaded them with tons of naira. There was no student leader of note who did not make the mandatory trip to Lagos to collect "a luta" posters from Thabo Mbeki who was the ANC representative at the time. I still have some of those posters in my study. Indeed I was telling some friends that whenever I am privileged to meet Mbeki I would remind him of those heady days when we all helped to fight their war.

Since the demise of apartheid, South Africans have not shown the kind of reciprocity one would expect of a brother. At a time there were reports of attempted lynching of Nigerians in South Africa under the excuse that they were taking up jobs meant for the country's citizens. Over here in Nigeria, you would never hear of a situation where some foreigners would be targeted for attack for any reason whatsoever.

I recall that Mrs. Winnie Mandela was taken up on this issue by a Daily Trust reporter during her last visit to the country. At that occasion, she explained as follows: "There are ordinary men on the streets who unfortunately feel invaded by the so-called foreigners. But we all know that it is wrong to regard our fellow Zimbabweans, Nigerians, etc., as 'foreigners' because that does not apply to other nationalities. We have never heard of xenophobia against Italians or Greeks. It is all to do with the fact that the other countries are not as rich as South Africa. It is as a result of citizens of other countries coming to look for greener pastures in South Africa and the feeling that people from other countries have taken their jobs."



Winnie Mandela also felt that the problem was, to an extent, generational. "It ought to be known to South Africans that Nigeria contributed a great deal towards our liberation. The younger generation would not necessarily know this except for those few who are survivors. It is no secret that we have had our awkward moments with various countries because of the situation in South Africa. It was in that sense that I thought we should know that we have special relations with Nigeria.

Apart from the great Nelson Mandela himself, no high official in the South African government over the years has shown respect or appreciation for our contributions to their liberation. It was therefore not surprising to hear Gwede Mantashe's presumptuous indictment of Nigeria. He has problems with memory. We should remind him that his party, the ANC was seen as a terrorist organization by the apartheid regime in South Africa. But Nigeria accorded diplomatic status to the ANC and bankrolled many of its activities, including the cost of educating their children in Nigerian universities. Today's rebel in a just war is tomorrow's government. At any rate, every country has a right to run its foreign policy the way it deems fit. Or is South Africa now the senior prefect of African diplomacy?

I concede that Gaddafi was one of the donors towards the cause of liberation in Southern Africa. So was Nigeria. The perpetual colonel known as the strongman of Libya has also funded terrorism in many parts of the world. Aside that, he had been in power for 42 years! If his people now say it is time for him to go and that the whole world should help liberate them from the iron grips of their dictator, who is South Africa to tell them who their leaders should be?

Over the years we have also shown the same African brotherliness to Liberia, Sierra-Leone, Somalia, Congo, etc. What have we gained? If international diplomacy is supposed to be on the basis of reciprocity, where on earth did we miss the boat as to be at the receiving end of our African brothers' ingratitude now and again? Perhaps it has to do with the inability of our governments to draw in on the various diplomatic IOUs spread all over the continent.

Let's make one important point loud and clear: Nigeria may be underachieving, we may not be living up to our potentials, but let no one be in any doubt as to our historic role on this continent. The least South Africa can do is show some gratitude. An ingrate is but a robber in disguise.

For uttering those anti-Nigerian sentiments, Gwede Mantashe should wash his mouth with Dettol!

Maybe South Africa is mad at nigeria because of this?

AU: Libyan rebels may be killing black people

(CBS/AP)

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - The chairman of the African Union says Libyan rebels may be indiscriminately killing black people in Libya because they have confused innocent migrant workers with mercenaries.

Chairman Jean Ping told reporters Monday that this is one of the reasons the AU is refusing to recognize Libya's rebel Transitional National Council as the country's interim government.

He said "We need clarification because the TNC seems to confuse black people with mercenaries , They are killing normal workers."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/29/501364/main20098777.shtml