…says attacks particularly painful given Nigeria’s role in anti-apartheid struggle
…departs Angola after representing Tinubu at AU summit
Vice President Kashim Shettima has warned that Nigeria will no longer tolerate the dehumanisation and mistreatment of its citizens in South Africa, amid recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against Nigerians and other African nationals.
Shettima, who spoke to journalists in Luanda, Angola, on Monday shortly before departing for Nigeria, said the Federal Government would continue to firmly defend the dignity and safety of Nigerians while pursuing dialogue and peaceful engagement with South African authorities.
The Vice President had represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) in the Angolan capital.
According to a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said the attacks are particularly painful to Nigerians because of the country’s historic contribution to the liberation struggle against apartheid and minority rule in Southern Africa.
“Those whose palm kernels were cracked by benevolent spirits should learn to be humble. We were part of the struggle for the liberation of our brothers and sisters in Southern Africa, and we feel personally pained that our people have been picked up for humiliation”, Shettima said.
He stressed that while Nigeria would avoid actions capable of unnecessarily escalating tensions between the two countries, it would not remain silent when Nigerians were subjected to unacceptable treatment.
“The government and people of Nigeria will no longer countenance a situation whereby our people are dehumanised and put into very, very unacceptable situations.
“But we believe in having very robust conversations with our South African brothers. We don’t want to overheat the polity, but once in a while, you have to make it very clear, vehemently clear, that certain situations are unacceptable, and we’ll work things out”, he said.
Shettima urged South African authorities to protect lives and respect human dignity when enforcing the country’s immigration laws.
Shettima’s remarks on Monday came barely 24 hours after Nigeria formally took its concerns over recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks in South Africa before the African Union, demanding urgent continental action against the trend.
President Tinubu, in the message delivered by Vice President Shettima at the just-concluded AU Summit, told African leaders that attacks against Africans and other nationals in South Africa were undermining the continent’s solidarity, unity and peaceful coexistence.
Nigeria specifically asked the AU to place the matter on the agenda of the 40th Ordinary Session of the Assembly scheduled for January 2027 for consideration and appropriate action.
“Nigeria wishes to express its concern over the recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against Africans and other nationals in South Africa”, Tinubu said in the message delivered by Shettima.
While acknowledging South Africa’s sovereign right to enforce its immigration laws and its contributions to the continent, the President insisted that the recurring attacks required urgent collective attention.
He consequently urged African leaders to reaffirm their commitment to the safety, protection and dignity of all African nationals and called for stronger continental efforts against xenophobia and Afrophobia through dialogue, preventive diplomacy and collective action.
Beyond the South African issue, Nigeria used the extraordinary summit, which focused on conflict prevention and resolution, to press for stronger African ownership of the continent’s peace and security architecture.
Tinubu backed the adoption of the Luanda Action Plan as a practical roadmap for strengthening conflict prevention, arguing that preventing crises was more cost-effective and sustainable than managing them after they erupted.
“For Nigeria, conflict prevention remains more cost-effective and sustainable than conflict management”, the President said.
He also warned against fragmented peace initiatives and the growing reliance on foreign military forces, mercenaries and private defence contractors, saying such external involvement risked weakening African institutions and undermining the principle of African ownership of solutions to the continent’s security challenges.
Tinubu further urged arms-producing and exporting countries to strengthen cooperation with African governments to prevent weapons and ammunition manufactured within their jurisdictions from being diverted to terrorists and other non-state armed groups.
Nigeria also backed sustainable and predictable financing for AU peace operations as well as the full operationalisation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2719 to strengthen the continental body’s capacity to respond to conflicts and crises.
The President urged African leaders to embrace home-grown solutions and renew their commitment to solidarity, cooperation and shared responsibility in confronting the continent’s security challenges.
Shettima, accompanied to the summit by senior defence and security officials, departed Luanda for Nigeria on Monday after concluding his engagements.
