Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, has said the Federal Government will not sever economic relations with South Africa despite renewed xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other African nationals in the country.
Gatekeepers News reports that Fani-Kayode made the remarks on Saturday at the inaugural Nigerian Fair held at the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg, where he called for stronger African unity and urged South Africans to reject xenophobic sentiments.
He described the attacks against foreign nationals as a setback to the ideals of Pan-Africanism, recalling Nigeria’s contributions to the struggle against apartheid in South Africa.
“It wasn’t a black South African struggle. It was a struggle that every nation in Africa led primarily by the frontline states and Nigeria, and every decent civilized nation in the world supported,” he said.
The envoy stressed that South Africa should recognise the sacrifices made by Nigeria and other African countries towards ending apartheid.
He claimed that Nigeria contributed no less than $61 billion to the anti-apartheid struggle between 1960 and 1994, adding that the country also deployed troops to frontline states in support of the campaign.
Fani-Kayode also recalled the introduction of the ‘Mandela Tax’, through which Nigerian civil servants contributed part of their earnings to support the African National Congress (ANC).
“Nigeria ensured that the children at school gave up their lunch, their lunch money, and contributed to the South African struggle,” he said.
Describing xenophobic attacks as a “very retrograde and almost primitive sentiment”, he urged both countries to strengthen their relationship through friendship, fraternity and mutual respect.
He attributed the attacks to a small minority driven by what he described as Afrophobia and xenophobia, adding that Nigeria must remain committed to promoting unity across the continent.
The former Minister of Aviation acknowledged growing calls among Nigerians for the government to take stronger action against South Africa but maintained that cutting economic ties was not the way forward.
He, however, admitted that patience was wearing thin within the corridors of power over the continued attacks on Nigerians.
Fani-Kayode assured Nigerians living in South Africa that the Federal Government would take steps to protect their interests and ensure their welfare.
His comments come amid diplomatic concerns over reported xenophobic attacks and killings of Nigerians in South Africa. In September, he had warned that continued attacks against Nigerian nationals could have consequences, insisting that South African authorities must protect Nigerians and bring perpetrators to justice.
The National Assembly had also suspended official visits to South Africa over the reported attacks, reflecting growing concerns about the safety of Nigerians in the country.
