Dare Babalola
Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, on Monday urged President Bola Tinubu to suspend his ongoing foreign trip and return home to address renewed attacks and killings of Nigerians in South Africa.
In a public memo addressed to the President, Ezekwesili described Tinubu’s trip to France, Kenya and Rwanda as a sign of failed leadership at a time Nigerians in South Africa were allegedly being killed, attacked and forced into hiding.
She said the repeated harassment, looting and intimidation of Nigerians in South Africa had gone beyond routine diplomatic concerns and now reflected the Nigerian government’s inability to protect the lives and dignity of its citizens abroad.
According to her, summoning envoys, issuing travel advisories and calling for calm were no longer sufficient responses.
“Nigerians in South Africa at this moment deserve measurable protection, not recycled outrage and anodyne diplomacy,” she said.
Ezekwesili called on the Federal Government to demand and publish a full report from South African authorities detailing attacks, injuries, deaths, destroyed businesses, arrests, prosecutions, compensation claims and unresolved cases involving Nigerians.
She also urged Nigeria to press for a time-bound justice framework covering investigation, prosecution, restitution and public accountability.
The former minister said Nigeria must strengthen consular protection systems in its embassies so citizens abroad can easily report threats and access emergency support.
She warned that any government unable to defend the dignity of its citizens overseas weakens its own legitimacy and authority.
Ezekwesili further reminded both countries of Nigeria’s historic support for South Africa during the anti-apartheid struggle, noting that Nigerians made financial and moral sacrifices for the country’s liberation.
“That history cannot be erased. But today, it is being dishonoured with the slain bodies of our citizens on the streets of South Africa,” she said.
She urged Tinubu to return home and fulfil his constitutional duty to protect Nigerians wherever they are.
“Nigerian lives must matter everywhere, at home and abroad, and especially now in South Africa,” she added.
