The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, says the Federal Government will ensure that no Nigerian who has indicated interest in leaving South Africa is left behind.
This was contained in a statement issued by Dr Magnus Eze, her Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, on Thursday, in Abuja.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu disclosed that about 1,000 Nigerians had so far registered for evacuation from South Africa ahead of the June 30, deadline given by anti-immigrant groups in the country.
According to her, the first batch of 258 Nigerian nationals has been transported back from South Africa to Nigeria by the Federal Government.
They were received in Nigeria by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Sola Enikanolaiye, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, on Thursday, June 11.
The minister emphasised that the policy of the Renewed Hope Administration of President Bola Tinubu was that no Nigerian should be left to suffer unnecessarily at the hands of misguided individuals.
She added that the President empathised with Nigerians exposed to discriminatory treatment across the world.
The minister said the president had also directed that those facing danger in South Africa, and who had voluntarily indicated willingness to return home must leave before the deadline.
She explained that as a law-abiding nation, any retaliatory measures against South Africa’s anti-migrant actions would have to follow due legislative process.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu stated that the executive arm was actively engaging South African authorities through diplomatic channels and broader actions.
“The National Assembly has a constitutional role to play in determining Nigeria’s response should diplomatic engagements fail to halt the attacks on Nigerians and their businesses,” she said.
She added that there were over 120 South African companies operating in Nigeria, and nobody was asking them to provide proof of identity.
“Nobody is asking South African staff working there whether they are South Africans or Nigerians, and nobody is taking over their shops or businesses.
“But this is happening to Nigerians in South Africa. So, I think that at some point, we really have to review the options available to us.
“We have MTN, MultiChoice, Stanbic, Protea, and many other South African brands spanning multiple sectors,” she said.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the xenophobic attacks were causing reputational damage, adding that it was sad because Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s former president worked hard to project his country as the bastion of Pan-Africanism.
“In one fell swoop, anti-migrant vigilante groups have destroyed what this man sacrificed 28 years in prison for.
“So, it is causing reputational damage. Even within South Africa itself, people are cancelling concerts, and conferences are being called off.
“South Africa has been stained with the stigma of being a xenophobic country. This is not something I think they will be comfortable with in the long run,” the minister stated.
She also criticised the South African government’s failure to protect African migrants, saying the attacks have damaged its international reputation and relations.
She noted that aside from Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique were also evacuating their citizens.
The minister further alleged that South African authorities had discarded their memorandum of understanding with Nigeria on an early warning mechanism, which was signed in October 2025.
“The pact was essentially to protect the lives and property of both Nigerians and South Africans in times of conflict like this.
“Instead, they pushed back, claiming those who signed for them were not the requisite signatories to make it valid,” she said.
The minister added that there were other formalities and processes that needed to be conducted.
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