LAGOS — Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has criticized recurring xenophobic hostility and violence against foreign nationals in South Africa, stating that such actions represent a profound betrayal of the Pan-African ideals and legacy of the late anti-apartheid icon and former South African President, Nelson Mandela.
Speaking in Lagos on Thursday, November 12, 2026, while serving as chairman of the occasion at the 2026 end-of-year event of The Bridge Club held at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Tuggar underscored the historic sacrifices made by Nigeria and other African nations toward dismantling apartheid and securing South Africa’s democratic freedom.
The minister noted that Nigeria’s diplomatic, financial, and moral investments in Southern Africa’s liberation struggle were rooted in continental solidarity and shared human dignity. According to Tuggar, permitting scapegoating, vigilante intimidation, and targeted attacks against fellow Africans—including Nigerian citizens residing and conducting legitimate business in South Africa—contradicts the inclusive constitutional values Mandela championed.
Tuggar’s remarks come amid persistent diplomatic engagement between Abuja and Pretoria over the safety, consular protection, and property rights of Nigerians living in South Africa. While South African officials, including President Cyril Ramaphosa and Pretoria’s diplomatic envoys in Nigeria, have previously condemned anti-foreigner violence as the work of opportunists exploiting socio-economic pressures, Nigerian policymakers and civil society stakeholders have continued to demand stricter law enforcement accountability and tangible prosecution of perpetrators.
Reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting the welfare and dignity of Nigerians in the diaspora under its citizen-centered foreign policy doctrine, Tuggar urged regional leaders and societies to uphold continental unity, lawful governance, and mutual respect rather than allowing economic frustrations to erode Africa’s hard-won solidarity.
