The Federal Government has called on South Africa to take urgent and concrete measures to end xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against African nationals in the country.

🇳🇬 Here's What Happened

The government also urged stronger migration governance, responsible political leadership and deeper people-to-people relations across the continent to prevent further violence against migrants.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb Sola Enikanolaiye, made the call on Tuesday at a virtual roundtable on “South Africa’s Xenophobia in Comparative Perspective,” convened by the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday by his Special Adviser, Digital Media and Public Diplomacy, Raphael Oni, the minister stressed that Nigeria viewed the situation as a challenge that must be addressed without either denial or exaggeration, arguing that the term Afrophobia more accurately captured the nature of the attacks.

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He described the violence as having “a particularly African, post-colonial and post-apartheid character.”

The minister expressed concern over the irony of citizens from countries that supported South Africa during its anti-apartheid struggle now being treated as “unwanted outsiders.”

To preserve the historical record of Nigeria’s role in South Africa’s liberation struggle, Enikanolaiye said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had directed the NIIA to undertake a comprehensive study documenting the country’s support for the struggle.

He said Nigeria’s financial commitment to the liberation struggle was estimated at more than $60bn, in addition to the nationalisation of British Petroleum, provision of scholarships and hospitality extended to South African leaders in Nigeria.

“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,” the minister said.

Enikanolaiye said Nigeria was particularly concerned about the loss of lives resulting from Afrophobic violence, disclosing that about 90 Nigerians had been killed in such attacks since June 2022.

📰 Source: Punch Nigeria