Eli Obaje
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has reaffirmed that no Nigerian who wants to leave South Africa will be abandoned as xenophobic violence escalates. The federal government set June 30, 2026, as the deadline for voluntary evacuation.
So far, about 1,000 Nigerians have registered for evacuation from South Africa. The first batch of 258 nationals was airlifted home and received at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, on Thursday, June 11, 2026, by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Sola Enikanolaiye, on behalf of the federal government. 
Speaking on the crisis, Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the Renewed Hope Administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not allow Nigerians to suffer at the hands of “misguided Africans.” She stressed that the President’s citizen diplomacy agenda means empathizing with Nigerians facing discrimination worldwide.
The President has directed that all Nigerians in danger in South Africa who voluntarily wish to return must do so before the June deadline. Many of those affected have lived in South Africa for years, some married to South Africans with children who have never known another home. Yet they are now being told to leave, along with their spouses and children.
On potential retaliation, the minister said Nigeria remains a law-abiding nation and any measures against South Africa’s anti-migrant actions must follow due legislative process. For now, the executive is engaging South African authorities through diplomatic channels.
She added that the National Assembly has a constitutional role in shaping Nigeria’s response if diplomacy fails to stop attacks on Nigerians and their businesses. Vigilante groups, she noted, have been targeting migrants across several cities, looting shops, invading homes, and carrying out intimidation and killings while security agencies do little to intervene.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu contrasted South Africa’s actions with Nigeria’s treatment of over 120 South African companies operating locally. Brands like MTN, MultiChoice, Stanbic, Protea, and ShopperGrow face no demands for proof of identity, no harassment of South African staff, and no takeovers. But Nigerians in South Africa are being singled out.
The minister argued that these attacks are dismantling Nelson Mandela’s legacy. “Madiba worked so hard to project South Africa as the bastion of Pan-Africanism,” she said. “In one fell swoop, these anti-migrant vigilante groups have destroyed what this man sacrificed 28 years in prison for.”
Beyond the human cost, she said South Africa is suffering reputational damage. Concerts are being cancelled, conferences called off, and the country is increasingly stained with the stigma of xenophobia. “This is not something I think they will be comfortable with in the long run,” she added.
Other African nations including Ghana, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique are also evacuating citizens. Odumegwu-Ojukwu disclosed that South African authorities have discarded a Memorandum of Understanding on an early warning mechanism signed with Nigeria in October 2025. The pact was meant to protect lives and property of both nationals during conflict, but South Africa now claims the signatories lacked authority and that additional formalities were needed.
