President Bola Tinubu on Monday declined to receive a special delegation sent by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa over ongoing xenophobic attacks targeting Nigerians in South Africa.
Instead of meeting the visiting envoys directly, President Tinubu directed the South African team to engage with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye.
The delegation, led by South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, arrived in Abuja on Friday seeking an audience with the Nigerian leader to deliver a special message from Ramaphosa.
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Multiple credible Presidency sources confirmed that the delegation remained in Abuja through the weekend hoping to secure a direct meeting.
“They actually came here on Friday wanting to see the President. But there was no prior notice,” one Presidency source disclosed. “And we said we can’t just allow you to see the President without first asking him if he is available. So we asked, and the President said they could come on Monday. But when Monday came, he simply said they should go and meet the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Enikanolaiye, and whatever they discuss, the Minister would come and brief him.”
A second source in the Presidency confirmed the development, stating simply, “I just confirmed it. He is not seeing them. The meeting is not happening.” A third official noted that no meeting with the South African envoys was placed on the President’s official schedule for the day.
Sources further revealed that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu – who was attending official engagements in Addis Ababa – advised against the President personally receiving the South African delegation while violence against Nigerians and their businesses remained ongoing.
Ambassador Enikanolaiye was appointed Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in June 2026 after Odumegwu-Ojukwu was elevated to substantive Foreign Minister following the exit of Yusuf Tuggar.
Receiving the South African envoys in Abuja on the President’s directive, Enikanolaiye emphasized that while the long-standing ties between both nations must be preserved, the recurring violence against African migrants required immediate resolution.
“It is with profound pleasure that I welcome our brothers from South Africa. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had actually asked us to meet with you and exchange views and perspectives on how to address and resolve the ongoing Afrophobic attacks in South Africa, of which Nigerians, and other citizens of Africa, have been victims,” Enikanolaiye said.
The minister pointed out a disturbing historical pattern of anti-foreigner violence: “We have seen a pattern emerge as early as 1995, 1998, 2006, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024 and 2026. It is on record that from 2022 alone, 98 Nigerians have died in mob actions, in hate-related actions that we have called Afrophobia, because we found that the preponderant victims of this ugly situation are Africans and Nigerians in particular.”
Recalling Nigeria’s pivotal contributions to South Africa’s anti-apartheid liberation movement, Enikanolaiye stressed that suspects accused of crime must face due process rather than extrajudicial violence.
“If someone is, quote-unquote, a criminal for drug trafficking, there are rules, there are regulations for when they are arrested, prosecuted, and jailed. The Nigerian government will not support drug peddlers, but please, what we’re saying is that treat them in accordance with your constitution, in accordance with international human rights instruments, in accordance with the minimum requirement of humanity,” he said.
“But what we have found is that this xenophobic act has gone beyond the attack on criminals. We have records of Nigerians who have a legitimate purpose to remain in South Africa, yet they have been attacked. We could see some mob actions, where we saw the police watching, as if they are helpless to address this situation, which to us raises issues of state responsibility. It raises issues of complicity.”
Highlighting the devastating human impact, Enikanolaiye recalled witnessing the evacuation of stranded citizens: “The last batch of evacuees we moved from there, we had almost 1,500 of our nationals. It was not a pleasant experience. I shed tears in the plane when I saw children, women, the elderly returning home almost with nothing. Some of them, their properties have been looted. Some of them have been destroyed.”
In response, South Africa’s Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola stated that President Ramaphosa dispatched the delegation to reaffirm South Africa’s opposition to discrimination and xenophobia.
“We have been outspoken against any intolerance, including xenophobia, racism, homophobia, violence, discrimination directed at individuals within our borders,” Lamola said.
However, Lamola reiterated South Africa’s position on immigration enforcement and border control: “President Ramaphosa has also been very firm on South Africa’s sovereign right to enforce immigration laws, including to deal decisively with irregular migration, undocumented immigrants, including acts of criminality that is sometimes committed within our borders.”
He called for joint efforts to manage continental migration issues, adding: “We believe that Nigeria and South Africa have a shared responsibility to respond to these challenges within the African continent of migration. Across the continent, migration remains a huge challenge that all of us have to work together to address.”
Diplomatic relations between the two continent powerhouses have deteriorated since a fresh wave of xenophobic violence erupted in South Africa in April 2026. In response, President Tinubu approved evacuation flights via Air Peace, leading to the voluntary repatriation of over 1,000 Nigerians.
Nigeria has warned that retaliatory diplomatic measures remain on the table. The House of Representatives previously recommended suspending business permits for South African corporations operating in Nigeria, while the Senate dispatched a legislative delegation to Pretoria.
Lamola’s visit was intended to de-escalate diplomatic tensions prior to the African Union Extraordinary Summit scheduled to take place in Angola in late August 2026.
