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Nigeria will no longer tolerate the dehumanisation, humiliation, and mistreatment of its citizens in South Africa, Vice President Kashim Shettima has declared, warning that xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against Nigerians have become unacceptable.
Shettima issued the strong warning in Luanda, Angola, on Sunday, shortly before departing for Nigeria after representing President Bola Tinubu at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU).
Speaking with journalists, the Vice President said while Nigeria remained committed to dialogue and peaceful engagement with South Africa, the country would not keep silent whenever the dignity, safety, and rights of Nigerians were threatened.
He said Nigeria’s historical role in the liberation of Southern Africa made the reported humiliation of its citizens particularly painful.
“Those whose palm kernels were cracked by benevolent spirits should learn to be humble. We were part of the struggle for the liberation of our brothers and sisters in Southern Africa, and we feel personally pained that our people have been picked up for humiliation,” Shettima said.
The Vice President declared that the Nigerian government and its people had reached the point where they could no longer accept the continued maltreatment of Nigerians.
“The government and people of Nigeria will no longer countenance a situation whereby our people are dehumanised and put into very, very unacceptable situations,” he said.
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Shettima, however, stressed that Nigeria was not seeking to escalate tensions with South Africa, insisting that dialogue remained the preferred path towards resolving the concerns.
“But we believe in having very robust conversations with our South African brothers. We don’t want to overheat the polity, but once in a while, you have to make it very clear, vehemently clear, that certain situations are unacceptable, and we’ll work things out,” he added.
The Vice President also condemned xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against Nigerians and other African nationals, urging South African authorities to ensure the protection of lives and uphold human dignity in the enforcement of the country’s immigration laws.
His comments came against the backdrop of renewed concerns over the treatment of Nigerians and other African migrants in South Africa, an issue that President Tinubu has taken to the continental stage.
Nigeria has consistently maintained that while every sovereign nation has the right to enforce its immigration laws, such enforcement must be carried out within the bounds of the law and without resort to violence, discrimination, humiliation, or attacks against foreign nationals.
Shettima has since departed Luanda for Nigeria following the conclusion of the AU extraordinary summit, where he represented President Tinubu.
