AFMS JUNIOR AIRMEN TAKE FLIGHT AS THE NEXT GENERATION OF DRONE OPERATORS
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Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria🇳🇬 @NigeriaMFA
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Sola Enikanolaiye received South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's Special Envoy and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola to discuss attacks on Nigerians and other African migrants in South Africa.
Acting on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's directive, Amb. Enikanolaiye expressed Nigeria's deep concern over the continued violence, stating that at least 98 Nigerians have been killed since 2022 in mob attacks, hate-related violence and extra-judicial killings.
Xenophobic Attacks: South African Minister Says 'We Owe Nigeria Eternal Debt For Anti-Apartheid Sacrifices'
The South African government has acknowledged that it remains permanently indebted to Nigeria for the pivotal role the country played in the struggle that ended apartheid.
This comes as President Bola Tinubu declined a request to personally receive a special envoy from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa amid growing concerns over repeated attacks on Nigerians living in the country.
Instead of meeting the South African delegation himself, President Tinubu delegated the engagement to Nigeria's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, during talks held in Abuja on Monday.
The South African delegation was led by the country's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, who disclosed that he had been sent by President Ramaphosa to deliver a special message to President Tinubu aimed at reinforcing bilateral relations and addressing concerns surrounding the safety of Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa.
Speaking at the meeting, Lamola paid glowing tribute to Nigeria's historic support for South Africa's liberation struggle, saying the South African people would never forget the sacrifices made by successive Nigerian governments and citizens in the fight against apartheid.
"We remain deeply indebted to the people of Nigeria for their sacrifice," Lamola said.
He noted that Ramaphosa's administration remained firmly opposed to xenophobia, racism, discrimination, homophobia and every form of intolerance.
According to him, South Africa remains committed to protecting everyone living within its borders irrespective of nationality.
However, Lamola maintained that Pretoria also has a constitutional obligation to enforce its immigration laws and tackle criminal activities, including drug trafficking, internet fraud and other transnational crimes.
"We believe that Nigeria and South Africa have a shared responsibility to respond to these challenges within the African continent," he said, adding that migration had become a continental issue requiring cooperation under African Union protocols on orderly and regular migration.
Lamola said the details of President Ramaphosa's message to Tinubu would be discussed during a closed-door session.
Responding on behalf of the Nigerian government, Enikanolaiye said President Tinubu specifically directed that the meeting should provide an opportunity for both countries to frankly discuss the persistent attacks on Nigerians residing in South Africa.
The Nigerian minister urged Pretoria to move beyond diplomatic assurances by taking concrete steps to end what he described as recurring Afrophobic violence targeting Nigerians and other African nationals.
He disclosed that official Nigerian records indicate that at least 98 Nigerians have been killed in mob attacks and hate-related violence in South Africa since 2022.
According to him, five Nigerians have already lost their lives this year, although some Nigerians recently repatriated from South Africa claimed the actual number of victims could be much higher.
"Nigeria will not support drug traffickers or any criminal activity, but those accused of crimes must be treated in accordance with the rule of law, South Africa's Constitution and international human rights standards," Enikanolaiye said.
He stressed that Nigeria does not shield criminals but insisted that anyone suspected of committing offences must be arrested, prosecuted and punished through lawful judicial procedures rather than subjected to mob violence.
The minister also questioned why South African security agencies had repeatedly failed to prevent attacks despite many victims being legally resident in the country.
He warned that the continued killings threaten decades of diplomatic cooperation between Africa's two biggest economies and undermine the spirit of African unity.
Enikanolaiye further disclosed that nearly 1500 Nigerians had been repatriated from South Africa this year, describing many of their experiences as traumatic and emotionally devastating.
Relations between Nigeria and South Africa have increasingly come under strain over repeated outbreaks of xenophobic violence, with Nigerians frequently among the worst affected victims.
For decades, Nigeria was one of the strongest international supporters of South Africa's anti-apartheid struggle. Successive Nigerian governments provided financial assistance to liberation movements, offered scholarships to South African students, imposed sanctions against the apartheid regime and mobilised diplomatic pressure for majority rule.
Many Nigerians have argued that those sacrifices have not been reciprocated since South Africa's democratic transition in 1994, citing repeated attacks on Nigerian businesses and residents.
Major waves of xenophobic violence erupted in 2008, 2015 and 2019, leaving dozens of African migrants dead, hundreds injured and businesses looted or destroyed. Nigerians were among those killed, while many others lost property worth millions.
The 2019 attacks triggered widespread outrage in Nigeria, leading to retaliatory protests outside South African-owned businesses, including MTN and Shoprite outlets.
The Nigerian government subsequently boycotted the World Economic Forum on Africa hosted by South Africa, while then-President Muhammadu Buhari dispatched a special envoy to Pretoria to demand stronger protection for Nigerians.
In response to recurring violence, both countries established early-warning mechanisms and diplomatic channels intended to improve cooperation on migration, law enforcement and citizens' welfare. Despite those efforts, attacks on foreign nationals have continued to fuel tensions.
Nigerian authorities have consistently maintained that while criminal suspects should face prosecution where evidence exists, no nationality should be collectively criminalised or exposed to mob justice.
Monday's meeting in Abuja came against that backdrop, with Nigeria pressing South Africa to match its repeated condemnations of xenophobia with concrete measures capable of protecting Nigerians and ensuring perpetrators of attacks are brought to justice.
Xenophobia: Minister meets S’African envoy after Tinubu snub
The Federal Government on Monday strongly condemned the recurring xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa, urging Pretoria to take urgent and concrete steps to end the violence.
The condemnation comes as President Bola Tinubu declined to personally receive a special envoy from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Instead, the President directed the delegation, led by South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, to meet with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb Sola Enikanolaiye, who is expected to brief the President on the outcome of the talks.
Multiple Presidency sources told The PUNCH that although the South African delegation arrived in Abuja on Friday with a message from President Ramaphosa, Tinubu opted against meeting them amid the diplomatic tension generated by the recent attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.
One Presidency source said, “They actually came here on Friday wanting to see the President. But there was no prior notice.
“We said we couldn’t just allow them to see the President without first asking if he was available. When Monday came, the President directed that they should meet the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Enikanolaiye, who would brief him afterwards.”
Another source confirmed that Tinubu had no meeting scheduled with the delegation, while a third said Foreign Affairs Minister, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who is currently in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, advised that it was not the appropriate time for the President to receive the envoy because attacks on Nigerians and their businesses were still ongoing.
Speaking while receiving the delegation in Abuja, Amb Enikanolaiye said the President directed the meeting to exchange views on resolving the attacks, stressing that the long-standing strategic relationship between both countries should not be undermined by violence against African migrants.
While expressing disappointment at the acts of the South Africans towards Nigerians in their country, Enikanolaiye recalled Nigeria’s support for South Africa’s liberation from apartheid and the strategic partnership both countries later forged through the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development.
“It is with profound pleasure that I welcome our brothers from South Africa. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had actually asked us to meet with you and exchange views and perspectives on how to address and resolve the ongoing Afrophobic attacks in South Africa, of which Nigerians and other citizens of Africa have been victims,” he said.
The minister expressed disappointment over what he described as a persistent pattern of attacks dating back more than three decades.
“We have seen a pattern emerge as early as 1995, 1998, 2006, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024 and 2026.
“From 2022 alone, 98 Nigerians have died in mob actions and hate-related attacks that we have described as Afrophobia because Africans, particularly Nigerians, are the predominant victims,” he said.
Enikanolaiye stressed that while Nigeria does not condone criminality, anyone accused of an offence should be prosecuted in accordance with the law rather than subjected to mob justice.
“The Nigerian government will not support drug peddlers, but what we are saying is that anyone accused of an offence should be treated in accordance with your constitution, international human rights instruments and the minimum requirements of humanity,” he said.
He added that many Nigerians legally residing in South Africa had also become victims of attacks, expressing concern over instances where security agencies allegedly failed to intervene.
“If someone is, quote-unquote, a criminal for drug trafficking, there are rules, there are regulations for when they are arrested, prosecuted, and jailed.
“The Nigerian government will not support drug peddlers, but please, what we’re saying is that treat them in accordance with your constitution, in accordance with international human rights instruments, in accordance with the minimum requirement of humanity.
“But what we have found is that this xenophobic act has gone beyond the attack on criminals. We have records of Nigerians who have a legitimate purpose to remain in South Africa, yet they have been attacked.
“We could see some mob actions, where we saw the police watching, as if they are helpless to address this situation, which to us raises issues of state responsibility. It raises issues of complicity. If the state authorities are not able or unwilling to tackle these challenges,” he said.
The minister also recalled the humanitarian consequences of previous attacks, saying Nigeria had evacuated nearly 1,500 citizens from South Africa.
“I shed tears in the plane when I saw children, women and the elderly returning home with almost nothing. Some had their properties looted and destroyed,” he said.
The meeting comes weeks after a fresh wave of xenophobic violence that erupted in April prompted Nigeria to approve evacuation flights for stranded citizens, with more than 1,000 Nigerians registering for voluntary repatriation.
Responding, Lamola said Ramaphosa sent him to Abuja to reaffirm South Africa’s opposition to xenophobia and other forms of intolerance.
“We have been outspoken against any intolerance, including xenophobia, racism, homophobia, violence and discrimination directed at individuals within our borders,” he said.
He, however, maintained that South Africa would continue to enforce its immigration laws and tackle criminal activities.
“President Ramaphosa has also been very firm on South Africa’s sovereign right to enforce immigration laws, including dealing decisively with irregular migration, undocumented immigrants and acts of criminality committed within our borders,” Lamola added.
He described migration as a continental challenge requiring joint action by African countries and expressed optimism that continued dialogue between Abuja and Pretoria would help ease the current diplomatic tension.
Relations between both countries have deteriorated sharply following repeated attacks on Nigerians and other foreign nationals in South Africa.
In recent weeks, the House of Representatives recommended the suspension of business permits for South African companies operating in Nigeria, while the Senate dispatched a delegation to Pretoria to formally register Nigeria’s displeasure over the attacks.
Tinubu refused to meet him and told the minister of state for foreign affairs Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye to meet him instead.
The envoy said that some Nigerians were dealing in drugs, resisting arrest and he also complained about the enthronment of an Igbo king.
Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye said that if anybody is dealing in drugs, the correct thing to do is to arrest and prosecute him, not to kill him by mob justice.
He said that Nigeria believes in rule of law, international conventions and common human decency and these should guide how any government treats people.
He said that there have been cases where South African police stood by and watched while mobs attacked people.
He said that there is also evidence that innocent Nigerians with valid papers have been attacked.
Nigeria's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, **Sola Enikanolaiye**, says Nigerians legally residing in South Africa have been among those targeted in recent xenophobic attacks.
He raised concerns over the safety of Nigerian nationals and called attention to the… pic.twitter.com/QMbunPcVef
oluxy: I'm concerned with the response of our Nigeria counterparts.
Does it mean only the SA delegates that dominates the conversation?
Threat owner, please we need the response of Nigerians who attended to SA.
Perhaps, they are soften to SA.
He deliberately omitted it.
Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye said that if anybody committed an offence, he should be arrested and prosecuted. He said that Nigeria believes in rule of law, not mob justice. He said that there is no excuse for violence. He said that there is evidence that many innocent Nigerians have been attacked.
Nigeria's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, **Sola Enikanolaiye**, says Nigerians legally residing in South Africa have been among those targeted in recent xenophobic attacks.
He raised concerns over the safety of Nigerian nationals and called attention to the… pic.twitter.com/QMbunPcVef
joseph1832: I dont understand what you mean in terms of scale? How can the scale of Multichoice be more than the government.
I mean, the government should also have scale. I believe the scale of the government is much more, take for example, that of the NTA. I know some states might not even have private tv stations etc.
I did not say that Mutlichoice has scale greater than the government.
For any TV company to challenge Mutlichoice it must be able to deploy more money.
Multichoice has subscribers all over the African continent that pay it a lot of money.
Companies from all over the world also pay to advertise on the DSTV platform.
It has the money to buy exclusive rights to the best programmes, to have exclusive rights to the best TV channels, etc. No other TV company can challenge it. Many have tried over the past 30 years and failed because Multichoice/DSTV has too much money.
With respect to government, it has too much responsibilities. Remember what happened when the NTA wanted a $500m loan for equipment? Nigerians complained that government was spending money on NTA when schools, hospitals, police, etc were not well funded. Multichoice does not have such problems because all it does is broadcast (it doesn't have to worry about schools, hospitals, etc).
South African singer Tyla has unveiled dates and locations for her tour and one of the concerts will take place in Lagos, Nigeria. Nigerians are calling for a boycott of the concert.
There was a wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa back in 2008 and 2009. One of the things that shocked me during that period was an advert campaign by a South African tourism agency. They were encouraging Nigerians to visit South Africa. "For what"? I wondered. "You want Nigerians to visit South Africa to get killed?
Amazingly that same agency sponsored a Nigerian couple on a trip of South Africa and highlights of the trip were turned into adverts on Nigerian TV. This was very strange to me.
Something similar is happening right now. In the midst of a wave of xenophobia, the Tourism and Business Council of South Africa have hired Trevor Noah to make posts inviting people to visit South Africa.
Africans and Americans have discovered the posts and they are telling people that Iran and Afghanistan are safer than South Africa and that you could be killed for being a black foreigner in South Africa.
Americans are saying that Trevor Noah is very vocal about the problems in America and he is always criticising President Trump, but he has been completely silent about the xenophobia in his own country.
Apparently, I’m still the person the internet asks about South Africa. So I went looking for answers. Whatever holiday you are looking for, South Africa has you. Just don’t say we didn’t tell you.@TBCZApic.twitter.com/GSlBxt7qgn
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