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• Demands end to Afrophobic attacks, warns of threat to Africa’s unity
From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Federal Government has raised the alarm over the killing of about 90 Nigerians in Afrophobic attacks in South Africa since June 2022, demanding urgent action by the South African authorities to end the violence against Nigerians and other Africans.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, made the disclosure yesterday at a virtual roundtable on “South Africa’s Xenophobia in Comparative Perspective”, convened by the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA).
Enikanolaiye said the recurring attacks required stronger migration governance, responsible political leadership and deeper people-to-people relations between African countries.
He said Nigeria viewed the crisis without denial or exaggeration, adding that “Afrophobia” was a more appropriate description of violence targeting Africans in South Africa.
The minister expressed concern over what he described as the contradiction of citizens from countries that supported South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle now being targeted as unwanted outsiders.
He disclosed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had directed the NIIA to undertake a comprehensive study documenting Nigeria’s contribution to the liberation struggle in South Africa.
According to him, Nigeria’s financial commitment to the struggle was estimated at more than $60 billion, apart from the nationalisation of British Petroleum, scholarships and other support provided to South African leaders.
“The relationship between Nigeria and South Africa is not reducible to trade statistics or diplomatic communiqués. There is history in that relationship. There is blood, sacrifice and solidarity in that history.”
Enikanolaiye said fresh attacks and displacement had also been recorded in 2026, warning that continued violence could damage South Africa’s international reputation, investor confidence and regional integration.
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He urged South African authorities to strengthen migration systems and ensure that immigration enforcement remained the responsibility of the state rather than vigilante groups.
The minister also called on political leaders to moderate their rhetoric, warning that descriptions of migrants as “criminals” or “job thieves” could create an atmosphere conducive to violence.
He advocated greater reliance on facts and data to counter misinformation and social media rumours about migrants.
Enikanolaiye further called for the full activation of the existing Nigeria-South Africa Early Warning and rapid-response mechanisms to detect and defuse tensions before they escalate.
He announced that Nigeria and Ghana would present the matter at the next session of the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government.
Beyond government action, the minister called for stronger people-to-people diplomacy involving businesses, universities, religious and traditional institutions, youth groups, civil society organisations and the media.
He said Africa needed to move beyond mere tolerance to a continent where Africans enjoyed equal dignity regardless of nationality.
Enikanolaiye reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to the welfare and protection of Nigerians abroad, citing his intervention in the recent repatriation of Nigerians from South Africa.
He commended Nigeria’s diplomatic missions in Pretoria and Johannesburg and other stakeholders who facilitated the exercise.
The minister said the Federal Government would continue to work with South Africa, the African Union, ECOWAS and other partners to ensure that African integration was matched by practical solidarity.
