The Federal Government has commenced plans to seek compensation from the South African government for Nigerians who were forced to abandon businesses and other valuable assets while returning home amid renewed anti-immigrant tensions in the country.
Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, Alexander Ajayi, disclosed this on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, saying the government would pursue the matter after documenting properties left behind by affected citizens.
His comments came as another batch of Nigerians was expected to arrive in Lagos aboard an Air Peace flight under the Federal Government’s voluntary evacuation programme.
Ajayi explained that the evacuation involves Nigerians who chose to return home before the commencement of planned anti-immigrant demonstrations in South Africa.
According to him, the Nigerian mission has directed returnees to provide detailed records of businesses, vehicles and other movable and immovable assets abandoned in South Africa to support discussions with the South African authorities.
He revealed that the issue had already been raised during a recent meeting with South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Finance, with both sides agreeing that proper documentation would form the basis for future engagement.
Ajayi said the evacuation exercise would extend beyond transporting citizens back to Nigeria, noting that the government intends to systematically verify claims submitted by returnees before formally presenting them to South African authorities for consideration.
He stressed that Nigerians who had invested years building legitimate businesses should not be allowed to lose their investments without efforts to secure redress.
The Acting High Commissioner also rejected assertions that most Nigerians residing in South Africa were undocumented migrants.
He argued that many Nigerians entered South Africa legally but became affected by prolonged delays in the country’s immigration system, particularly in the processing and renewal of residence documents.
According to him, administrative backlogs at South Africa’s Home Office over the past few years have affected several foreign nationals, making it inaccurate to categorise them as undocumented.
Ajayi maintained that many Nigerians had valid immigration status before their documents expired while awaiting renewal applications that remained unattended to for extended periods.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that an Air Peace aircraft departed Nigeria on Monday to evacuate another group of Nigerians who voluntarily registered to return home and was expected back in Lagos on Tuesday.
The latest evacuation follows growing concerns over planned anti-immigrant protests scheduled to begin on June 30, prompting the Federal Government to continue facilitating the voluntary return of Nigerians willing to leave South Africa.
