News Investigators/ Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner to South Africa, Temitope Ajayi, says Nigeria will seek an African Union-led solution to recurring xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other African migrants in the country.
Amb. Ajayi stated this on Friday in Pretoria during an engagement with Nigerian journalists participating in a study visit to South Africa.
The envoy said the decision was informed by the recurrence of attacks over the years and the need for a broader continental response to what he described as an African problem.
According to him, Nigeria plans to table the issue at the next AU Summit after consultations with other African countries affected by xenophobic attacks.
He said the move followed several incidents recorded in South Africa in 2026, adding that Nigeria believed the recurring nature of the attacks warranted an extraordinary solution beyond bilateral engagement.
“According to the trajectory of xenophobic attacks, it started in 1995. Then we had another one in 2008, 2014, 2019, and we are having it now.
“Is that not enough to call for an extra-national solution to that problem? That is why Nigeria is taking the matter to the AU,” he said.
Amb. Ajayi explained that Nigeria’s approach was not aimed at naming or shaming South Africa but at finding a sustainable African solution.
“We are not going to aim to name and shame South Africa but we are going to seek an African solution to what is essentially an African problem,” he said.
The envoy said the proposed AU intervention would be pursued through diplomatic consultations and consensus-building with other countries, noting that South Africa had previously opposed an attempt by Ghana to raise a similar matter at the AU ministerial level.
He said Nigeria would, therefore, seek the support of other affected countries before presenting the matter at the level of African heads of state.
Amb. Ajayi disclosed that Nigeria had so far, evacuated 1,490 Nigerians from South Africa through five government-sponsored flights operated by Air Peace, while private individuals and organisations had assisted in evacuating additional Nigerians.
He said the mission had cumulatively facilitated the return of about 1,699 Nigerians through government-sponsored evacuation and privately funded arrangements.
The envoy said the recent threats had created a serious challenge for the mission, particularly as March and March group had issued calls for foreigners to leave South Africa by Sept. 30.
He said the mission is not taking such threats lightly and is working to mobilise additional support to evacuate Nigerians, who wished to return home.
Amb. Ajayi appealed to religious organisations, businesses, philanthropists and other public-spirited Nigerians to support the evacuation effort.
Some Nigerians, he said, had been forced to abandon their homes, businesses and other property, following threats and attacks.
The envoy added that some Nigerians, who had returned home have received assistance from state governments, private organisations and other bodies to help them rebuild their lives.
He, however, stressed that the evacuation remained voluntary and that many Nigerians with valid residency permits had also chosen to leave South Africa because of fear for their safety.
Amb. Ajayi said the mission had recorded no fewer than 10 incidents linked to protests and attacks targeting Nigerians in different parts of South Africa in 2026.
He explained that many of the incidents occurred outside major city centres and in areas where large numbers of migrants lived and conducted businesses.
He identified Sunnyside in Pretoria and parts of Johannesburg as among areas, where Nigerians and other foreign nationals could become particularly vulnerable during protests.
According to him, the mission also received reports of Nigerians being killed during encounters with security personnel, although he cautioned against attributing every such incident directly to xenophobic protests.
“Some of them are not directly from the protest but they were something that occurred based on an encounter with security forces in some cases,” he said.
Amb. Ajayi said the mission had raised concerns over such incidents with the relevant authorities and expected offenders to be arrested and prosecuted.
He welcomed recent assurances by South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa that authorities are prepared to arrest and prosecute those responsible for xenophobic attacks.
The acting high commissioner said a high-level meeting between Nigerian and South African officials in Abuja in July, produced five key areas of understanding to address the crisis.
They included preventive measures to protect Nigerians, arrest and prosecution of offenders, de-escalation of inflammatory rhetoric by public officials, respect for the rule of law and cooperation on issues involving Nigerian nationals accused of offences in South Africa.
He said Nigeria had also called for the implementation of an early-warning mechanism between the two countries to enable them to share information and respond quickly to emerging threats.
According to him, Nigeria had signed its part of the memorandum establishing the mechanism, but South Africa was yet to complete its side.
He said the mechanism would help both governments identify potential disruptions and take preventive action before they escalated into violence.
Amb. Ajayi said the Nigerian government was not against the authorities prosecuting any Nigerian found engaging in illicit activities.
He noted, however, that stereotype and indiscriminate attack must stop.
The envoy said the mission had also been engaging Nigerian community leaders to educate nationals on responsible conduct and peaceful coexistence.
At the same time, he urged South Africans to distinguish between individual offenders and the wider Nigerian community.
“Don’t say these people are coming here to take your job,” he said, arguing that many Nigerians in South Africa were engaged in businesses, professional services and other legitimate economic activities.
He said Nigerians had also contributed skills and created employment opportunities for South Africans.
The Nigeria’s Acting Commissioner to South Africa (8th left) and Nigerian journalists participating in study visit to the country at Pretoria on Friday
Amb. Ajayi said the major challenge in Nigeria-South Africa relations was increasingly at the people-to-people level rather than at the political leadership level.
He described relations between the two governments as “very cordial and excellent” but said negative perceptions of Nigerians remained widespread in parts of South African society.
He attributed part of the problem to a generational gap, arguing that many younger South Africans were not sufficiently familiar with Nigeria’s historical support for the anti-apartheid struggle.
Nigeria, he recalled, was recognised as a frontline state during the struggle against apartheid despite its geographical distance from South Africa.
He said Nigeria provided material and human support to the liberation struggle and that Nigerian workers contributed part of their salaries to the cause.
Amb. Ajayi said the mission was, therefore, exploring cultural exchanges, including visits by traditional rulers, professionals and other groups, to improve mutual understanding between citizens of both countries.
He said the mission had also been using Nigerian films and other cultural products to promote greater understanding of Nigeria in South Africa.
The envoy said a proposed summit of Nigerian professionals in South Africa was also being considered as a platform to showcase the contributions of Nigerians to the country.
In spite of the tensions, Amb. Ajayi said economic relations between Nigeria and South Africa remained significant, although he called for the removal of regulatory barriers limiting greater trade and investment between both countries.
He said the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission remained the principal mechanism for implementing bilateral cooperation.
The last meeting of the commission was held in Cape Town in December 2024, and he expressed hope that the next meeting would take place in Abuja before the end of 2026.
He said both countries had a shared interest in expanding business opportunities, adding that South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa had expressed interest in seeing more Nigerian companies and products in South Africa.
Amb. Ajayi said the mission would continue engaging South African authorities, businesses and civil society groups to improve relations and address the perception challenges confronting Nigerians.
“We have to be careful when we analyse the economic figures,” he said, arguing that bilateral trade should be assessed beyond the oil sector to capture the wider business activities between the two countries.
He also urged both governments to strengthen local governance and economic opportunities, saying migration was a complex issue that could not be addressed solely through restrictions.
According to him, people will continue to move across borders in search of opportunities, making cooperation and orderly migration essential to managing the phenomenon.
NAN
