Femi Fani-Kayode, Nigeria’s high commissioner to South Africa, says Pan-Africanism must replace the xenophobic sentiments in the country, which have fuelled attacks on Nigerians and other African nationals.
Speaking at the inaugural Nigerian fair at the Nigerian
consulate in Johannesburg on Saturday, Fani-Kayode reflected on the pan-African
efforts that helped secure South Africa’s liberation from apartheid.
“It wasn’t a black South African struggle. It was a struggle
that every nation in Africa led primarily by the frontline states and Nigeria,
and every decent civilized nation in the world supported,” the high
commissioner said.
“Therefore, they must never forget. And we must never forget
the collective contribution that we made to their struggle.
“And when I come to this beautiful country, and I see the
joy, and I see the development, and I see the extraordinary infrastructure
advancements they’ve made, and I see law and order, and I see all the wonderful
things that I’ve seen.
“I say, boldly, that we, from Nigeria, and indeed the rest
of Africa, have a stake in this, because we made a contribution to what they
are today.”
Fani-Kayode described the xenophobic attacks in South Africa
as “very retrograde and almost primitive sentiment”.
“We must understand that the world is coming together as
one, and we must stand together as one,” he said.
The high commissioner noted that Nigeria contributed no less
than $61 billion in South Africa’s struggle against apartheid between 1960 and
1994 and deployed troops to the frontline states to fight against the apartheid
regime.
“Nigeria did so much.
Mandela tax — we
imposed a tax on our own civil servants during the course of the struggle, and
that money was channelled to the ANC,” he added.
“Nigeria ensured that the children at school gave up their
lunch, their lunch money, and contributed to the South African struggle.
Nigeria ensured that the United Nations, every international forum, we were at
the front line to ensure that this country was liberated.”
Fani-Kayode said South Africa must build bridges of
fraternity, friendship, and mutual respect with Nigeria and Africa to improve
relations.
He described the perpetrators of xenophobic attacks as a
small minority who appeared to misunderstand the situation and had been
“possessed by the spirit of Afrophobia and xenophobia”.
“We will pray for them, we pray deliverance for them,” he
said.
“And my prayer is that our country, which, in my view, is
and will always be the big brother of every other African country —there’s no
question about that — we shall continue to take the lead, to build the bridge,
to understand the importance of us all coming together, and even where we are
offended, and we are maligned, or we are cheated, or we are bullied, and indeed
even killed by those that don’t know any better, we must understand that as
leaders, we must look forward, look up to God, look forward to the future, and
not be provoked.”
He added that Nigeria would not sever economic ties with
South Africa despite calls from Nigerians but noted that patience was wearing
thin within the corridors of power.
He assured Nigerians that the government would do everything
to ensure they have a wonderful stay in South Africa.
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