FG Assures Safe Return For Nigerians, Threatens To Take Drastic Actions Against South Africa If Attacks Persists
The Federal Government has assured Nigerians stranded in South Africa that no citizen willing to return home will be abandoned, saying President Bola Tinubu has directed that every effort be made to ensure their safe evacuation amid the ongoing wave of xenophobic protests in the country.
Speaking on Wednesday during an exclusive interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, said the Federal Government expanded the evacuation operation after the successful completion of the first flight, noting that additional flights were approved to facilitate the return of more Nigerians.
He, however, disclosed that the latest scheduled flight was delayed following a technical fault on the aircraft assigned for the mission.
“Subsequently, we also secured approval for four additional flights and out of that four additional flights, two have been operated. Today, we are supposed to witness the arrival of the fourth flight from South Africa but due to technical reasons, it might not maybe arrive today because the aircraft that was deployed by Air Peace to Johannesburg developed technical issues. We are told that the windscreen in the cockpit has some cracks or imploded or something like that”
Ebienfa added that the evacuation exercise has recorded significant progress, with hundreds of Nigerians already repatriated, while arrangements are in place to bring back more citizens through the remaining approved flights.
“But for nationals that have returned to the country, so far we have evacuated 859 Nigerians from South Africa. We also have the capacity of the aircraft for 271. So if we have additional two flights, if they are all fully explored, I think we will have additional or over 500 and something more national that will return in the next few days. So that is the updates so far for the evacuation process.” he said.
The ministry spokesperson said the ministry would seek fresh presidential approval for additional evacuation flights if the remaining capacity proves insufficient, noting that the President had given a firm assurance that every willing Nigerian would be brought home.
According to him: “If we have a very large number that still indicates interest to leave, definitely the Ministry will have to approach the Presidency again with the additional demand, additional data and work out the solution on how best to bring them back because Mr President has promised that no Nigerian willing to return will be left stranded or abandoned in South Africa. So with that promise, we are confident that something positive will come out.”
Ebienfa also dismissed reports suggesting prospective evacuees are required to pay for their return, stressing that the entire evacuation programme is fully funded by the Federal Government
“It is purely free of charge at no cost to any of our nationals in South Africa. Purely free of charge. The aircraft is fully paid by governments.” he clarified.
He explained that all five evacuation flights approved for the operation had been financed by the Federal Government.
“All the five flights have been paid by the federal government for the process. So no Nigerian is being made to pay any money.”
The ministry spokesman also revealed that while awaiting evacuation, some Nigerians who fled their homes over security concerns have been receiving temporary accommodation and welfare support at the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria.
He said the mission had provided basic necessities for displaced Nigerians, while a private Nigerian also sponsored the return of 66 citizens through commercial flights.
“So in that duration, a lot of Nigerians were cut out or temporarily accommodated at the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria. The mission has to take the responsibility to provide sleeping items, refreshment items for them to make them comfortable. Then a good-spirited Nigerian decided to pay for 66 Nigerians. He procured tickets for them to return to the country via South African airways. So that is the only group of nationals from South Africa that a private individual committed his funds to bring them back. But that was not under compulsion, but it was a voluntary act by the good-spirited Nigerian.”
Ebienfa said the Federal Government has also continued to engage South African authorities to ensure the safety of Nigerians remaining in the country.
He disclosed that the ministry recently issued a strongly worded statement urging the South African government to strengthen security for foreigners.
“Yes, we issued a strong worded press statement on Sunday calling on the South African government to step up more efforts, better measures in protecting and guaranteeing the security of all foreigners in the country, including Nigerians.”
Ebienfa further explained that the ministry continues to provide consular support to Nigerians facing legal challenges abroad, including monitoring court proceedings and facilitating legal representation where necessary.
He said: “And it’s our responsibility as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure that our missions provide consular services to Nigerians living abroad.”So even in cases whereby you have proceeding in court, the ministry usually sends officials to monitor the process, to make sure that it is transparent, to make sure that you are given fair hearing.It will even go to the extent of helping some of our nationals to get the services of a lawyer, because every Nigerian is important to this country. Every Nigerian is important to the government. We don’t discriminate.”
The ministry also confirmed that Nigeria is compiling information on businesses abandoned by citizens fleeing South Africa with a view to seeking compensation.
Ebienfa said Nigerians who are legally resident and operating registered businesses should not be forced to abandon their investments because of xenophobic attacks.
“Yeah, our nationals are leaving the country based on threats to their lives, based on threats to their businesses, based on acrophobic sentiments meted out to them by South African nationals but if you are leaving your established businesses, legally operated businesses, and you are leaving the country because you are being forced to do so, definitely the Nigerian government will request for compensation.”
On the issue of compensation, the ministry spokesperson said the Federal Government is documenting businesses and investments abandoned by Nigerians fleeing South Africa, stressing that those who legally established and operated businesses in the country should not be forced to bear losses resulting from xenophobic attacks.
He said Nigeria would engage the South African government once sufficient data on affected businesses had been compiled.
” So there are South African businesses that are operating freely here in Nigeria without harassment, without molestation. So you can’t subject our nationals to ridicule, subject them to unnecessary harassment, threatening their means of livelihood, when they are living legally in your country, they are paying taxes to your government, there are duly registered businesses, as the case may be. So the concern of the Nigerian government is that for a category of Nigerians that have legacy in South Africa and have been conducting legal economic ventures in South Africa, we are going to press for compensation. The mission has started a process of registering the business details of Nigerians that are leaving. Once we get a sizable data, the government will approach the South African government to request for compensation.”
He stressed that Nigerian businesses in South Africa deserve protection, especially as South African companies continue to operate freely in Nigeria.
“So we reminded them that there are south African businesses operating freely in Nigeria without harassment, without molestation and they should think seriously about guaranteeing the security of our nationals that are living in South Africa.” he stated.
Responding to criticisms that Nigeria has relied too heavily on diplomacy despite repeated attacks on its citizens, Ebienfa acknowledged public frustration but insisted the government was pursuing a deliberate strategy.
He recalled Nigeria’s historical contributions to South Africa’s liberation from apartheid, saying the current hostility towards Nigerians was painful.
According to him: “There are concerns by some Nigerians about how the federal government is going about the process. We understand, we strongly understand their feelings. They want Nigeria to take more drastic actions against South Africa, based on the sacrifices that Nigeria have made in the past to South Africa, especially the fight against apartheid, where we committed a lot of our resources.”
Ebienfa said Nigeria’s support for South Africa during the apartheid era was well documented. He said: “It is on record that Nigeria spent over $63 billion in the fight against apartheid to support South Africa.Civil servants in the country from the 70s to the 80s were admitted to forfeit, I think, 2% of their salary, which is what we now formally refer to as the mandatory attack.”
Despite growing pressure for retaliatory action, Ebienfa maintained that diplomacy remains Nigeria’s preferred approach because of its longstanding commitment to African unity.
“Africa still remains the centerpiece of our foreign policy. So we are doing the part of diplomacy to see what we can achieve with negotiations and dialogue. But that does not mean that appropriate commensurate, repatriatory actions are not on the table,” he said.
The ministry spokesman however, warned, that Nigeria’s patience should not be mistaken for weakness, stressing that stronger measures remain under consideration if the attacks persist.
“At least we’ve put the South African government on notice that if this trend continues, definitely Nigeria will do something more drastic.”
Ebienfa added that while the government was not prepared to disclose its next steps, Nigerians would be satisfied with its eventual response if diplomatic efforts fail.
“There are concerns that we have not done enough, but that is not true. It is a matter of strategy. We are approaching them, engaging them at the highest level. And if we are not satisfied with the reaction from the South African government, Nigerians will see what we are going to do as a people that they will be proud of. And for the measures that we are going to activate, we have them on our chest. We can’t disclose that now, but we rest assured that government is working on something very serious.”
FG Seeks Continental Response Through the African Union
On the diplomatic front, the ministry spokesman disclosed that Nigeria is pushing for the xenophobic attacks in South Africa to be discussed at the continental level through the African Union, arguing that the issue extends beyond bilateral relations between Nigeria and South Africa.
He said affected African countries had agreed that the matter should be placed before the African Union for collective action.
“There has been a general call by all countries affected by the protest that the matter should be discussed at the AU level, which is the highest multilateral setting in the continent.”
Ebienfa further revealed that the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu’s counterpart, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olaoluwa Enikanolaiye, had already raised the matter with members of the African Union Peace and Security Council during their recent visit to Nigeria.
“Last week, the African Union Peace and Security Council, the members paid a visit to Nigeria and they paid a courtesy call on the Honorable Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, His Excellency sola Enikanolaiye And during that meeting, he made the call for the African Union to consider it as an item for discussion in the next meeting to make it a continent-wide discussion on the developments in South Africa.” he said.
Warning that similar incidents could spread to other African countries if left unchecked, Ebienfa stressed the need for a unified continental response.
He said: “But if the continent don’t take a decision collectively, today it might be South Africa, tomorrow it might be another country that will feel they can just decide one day, allow their citizens to take laws into their arm by calling for the expulsion of other African nationals from the country.”
Ebienfa however insisted that Nigeria would continue to pursue the matter through the African Union until it receives formal consideration.
“So Nigeria will drive the process. There are procedures for including an item for discussion in the African Union setting. So the Minister of State has given the call, and necessary details will be followed to make sure that we discuss that matter at the African Union level.”
Foreign Affairs Ministry Promises Stronger Protection for Nigerians Overseas
The ministry spokesman also disclosed that the Federal Government is considering reforms to better monitor Nigerians travelling abroad for employment, following repeated cases of citizens being lured into exploitative and dangerous situations.
He said many Nigerians leave the country without informing Nigerian diplomatic missions, making it difficult for government authorities to protect or assist them when problems arise.
He explained: “If you recall, I think late last year, we issued a statement about our Nigerian nationals travelling to war-prone areas and getting involved in the conflict situation. Because there is a disturbing trend whereby our nationals are lured outside the country for the promises of a month or two months job offer only for them to be stopped or be exposed to very dehumanising, exploitative conditions.”
Ebienfa said the ministry is however proposing a policy that would require Nigerians travelling abroad for work to register with relevant government authorities before departure.
He cited the Philippines as an example of a country that regulates overseas labour migration.
“The idea is this, in some smaller countries, I’ll give the example of maybe Philippines, not a small country, but a country that is seriously involved in exporting their labour. For you to leave the country under the pretext of going to work anywhere outside the Philippines, you have to register with their labour department. It would then be the responsibility of the government to verify who is recruiting you and what you are going to do there. If the government is not satisfied, they won’t allow you to leave.” he said.
He noted that Nigeria currently has no such policy, leaving many citizens vulnerable to exploitation.
“But in Nigeria we don’t have those policies. So anybody that has the wherewithal to buy flight tickets would just leave the country. And in most cases, people leave the country and getting to their destination they will not even have the mindset to identify with the Nigerian mission. So if I don’t know that you are in my territory or you are in my neighbourhood or you are in my city, it will be difficult for me to protect you.” he added.
The ministry spokesperson said the proposed reforms are aimed at strengthening the government’s ability to protect Nigerians abroad by encouraging closer engagement with Nigerian diplomatic missions.
He said improved coordination would enable embassies to provide timely guidance on safe destinations, legitimate job offers and emergency assistance, citing the recent death of a Nigerian woman in the Ukraine conflict as a reminder of the dangers citizens face when they travel to war zones or other high-risk areas.
“So we are trying to have reforms in that regard so that Nigerians will have more trust on the government, have more trust on what the Nigerian embassy can do for you when you are outside the country, so that we can advise you where to leave, where not to leave, what job offer not to take or accept as the case may be. We are sorry for some of our nationals, especially the young lady that lost her life. But since it’s a war situation, we have evacuated from Ukraine before.”
Ebienfa further disclosed that the ministry is reviewing the welfare of Nigerians facing hardship in several countries, including Kuwait and Ethiopia, while also pursuing agreements that would allow convicted Nigerians to serve their prison terms back home.
“For Middle East, yes, we have Nigerians that are subjected to different dehumanizing conditions. We are taking it up with different governments. I received a report from our embassy in Kuwait that has to do with Nigerians that are having difficulty there, some that are in prison, as the case may be. So we are organizing a comprehensive review on how best to protect our nationals better anywhere they find themselves. For those that are illegally detained, we are collecting data on how best to approach the respective host countries to secure their release.” he assured.