The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has again condemned the renewed wave of xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa, insisting that “enough is enough.”
Dabiri-Erewa, who spoke in an interview on Channels TV on Thursday, said Nigeria’s response regarding its bilateral relations with South Africa would be determined by higher authorities.
“Terrible, disappointing, painful,” she said while describing the situation, noting that “what Nigeria will do in terms of bilateral relations, we will hear from the minister of foreign affairs” and maybe even the President.
“But honestly, enough is enough; enough really has to be enough. Whatever will be done, we will hear from the higher authorities,” she added.
Her remarks came hours after Nigeria evacuated the first batch of its citizens affected by the unrest.
A total of 258 Nigerians arrived in Lagos aboard an Air Peace flight and were received by government officials, including the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye.
According to the government, the evacuation was undertaken to protect Nigerians facing threats, harassment and violence.
The returnees are expected to undergo documentation, medical screening and temporary accommodation before being reunited with their families.
‘Only Crime Was Skin Colour’
Dabiri-Erewa rejected claims that the affected Nigerians had committed crimes in South Africa, arguing that they were targeted simply because they were black migrants.
“Those 258 that came in, none of them committed any crime. The only crime they committed was the colour of their skin; they are black migrants in South Africa.
“If one person commits a crime, get that person and deal with that person. You cannot generalise, and their government is looking the other way, and that is the sad part,” she stated.
Despite the evacuation, the NiDCOM boss stressed that bringing Nigerians home is not a long-term solution, noting that diplomatic engagement between both countries remains ongoing.
“Our diplomatic engagement is still going on. Diplomacy is always about having a conversation. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is still engaging her counterparts, and I’m sure the two presidents will be talking more about this. We are glad this first batch is home, and we are going to have, I think, three to five batches,” she said.
