The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, says that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has begun moves to seek compensation for Nigerians who lost property during recent attacks in South Africa, while intensifying diplomatic efforts to prevent further violence.
The Minister disclosed that the Federal Government had introduced a data collection process to document losses suffered by affected Nigerians as part of plans to pursue compensation claims.
“We have designed a form to be filled by all Nigerians who may have lost property in South Africa. We want to proceed on the basis of data and the quantum of losses they have suffered before tabling our compensation claims,” he said.
Enikanolaiye said Nigeria would continue to engage South Africa through diplomatic channels, while keeping other options open if negotiations failed.
“Nigeria has options. We are not helpless in this situation. We would prefer diplomacy and negotiations until we arrive at a mutually acceptable outcome,” he stated.
He also stressed that every Nigerian in South Africa, irrespective of immigration status, deserved protection under the law.
“Whether they are regular or irregular, they are human beings. Criminals also have a right to life. You cannot hound and kill them because they are criminals,” he added.
The deputy minister spoke on Tuesday after briefing President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, following the President’s directive to receive South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Special Envoy and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola.
According to Enikanolaiye, he updated the President on commitments secured from the South African government, including the activation of an early warning mechanism and the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission to address recurring attacks.
He also informed Tinubu that about 1,490 Nigerians had been evacuated from South Africa following the violence.
“I thanked him for making the resources available. I also told him that two of the evacuation batches were funded by private individuals,” he said.
While noting that many Nigerians had already been evacuated, Enikanolaiye said some citizens still wished to return home, adding that the government was exploring additional funding to support further evacuation efforts.
The deputy minister further revealed that President Tinubu agreed the attacks should be described as “Afrophobic” rather than simply xenophobic, calling on African countries to work together to end the violence.
“The president agreed with me that it is Afrophobic and that Africa must unite in ensuring that we put an end to this spiral of violence,” he said.
He added that Tinubu’s cordial relationship with President Ramaphosa would be leveraged to strengthen diplomatic engagement and secure lasting solutions to the attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
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