The Federal Government says it is pursuing compensation for Nigerians who suffered losses during recent attacks in South Africa while intensifying diplomatic efforts to prevent a recurrence of the violence.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Sola Enikanolaiye, disclosed this on Tuesday after briefing President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to the minister, the briefing followed President Tinubu’s directive to receive South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Special Envoy and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola.
Enikanolaiye said 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 strengthen cooperation between both countries.
He also informed Tinubu that about 1,490 Nigerians had been evacuated from South Africa following the attacks.
“I thanked him for making the resources available. I also told him that two of the evacuation batches were funded by private individuals,” the minister said.
He noted that while many Nigerians had already returned home, some citizens were still interested in leaving South Africa, adding that the government was exploring additional funding options to support further evacuation efforts.
Enikanolaiye said President Tinubu agreed that the attacks should be described as “Afrophobic” rather than simply xenophobic, stressing the need for African nations to work together to end such 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.
The minister added that Tinubu’s cordial relationship with President Ramaphosa would be used to strengthen diplomatic engagement aimed at preventing future attacks on Nigerians and other Africans.
On compensation, Enikanolaiye disclosed that the Federal Government had introduced a data collection process for Nigerians whose properties were destroyed or lost during the attacks.
“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 claims,” he explained.
He stressed that Nigeria would continue to pursue diplomatic negotiations with South Africa while keeping other options open if discussions failed to produce a satisfactory outcome.
“Nigeria has options. We are not helpless in this situation. We would prefer diplomacy and negotiations until we arrive at a mutually acceptable outcome,” Enikanolaiye added.
Source: NAN.
