130 Nigerians want to return home from South Africa, says Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu

Nigerian Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu stated on Sunday that 130 people have indicated their wish to return home. “This figure is expected to rise,” she said in a statement on social media, adding that “Nigerian lives and businesses in SA must not continue to be put at risk.”

Odumegwu-Ojukwu also reported that at least two Nigerians—Amamiro Chidiebere Emmanuel and Nnaemeka Matthew Andrew—died last month in two separate incidents involving South African security personnel.

South Africa’s acting high commissioner in Abuja met with Nigerian officials on Monday to discuss “documented instances of mistreatment of Nigerian citizens and attacks on their businesses,” according to foreign ministry spokesman Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, who spoke over the weekend.

The Nigerian foreign minister alleged that a “repetitive wave” of a “xenophobic pattern” flares up “especially prior to elections in South Africa, and anti-foreigner opposition parties leverage this situation to garner votes.” South Africans head to the polls on November 4 for municipal elections.

South Africa’s acting police minister last week condemned anti-immigrant violence, stating that attacks on foreign nationals were “unlawful” and violated the country’s constitutional values of dignity and equality.

“Acts of xenophobia, violence, looting or intimidation will not be tolerated under any circumstances,” Firoz Cachalia said.

According to the statistics agency, approximately three million foreigners—or 5.1 percent of the population—live in the country. More than 63 percent come from nations within the 16-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) bloc.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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