Xenophobia: Tinubu declines meeting with South African Envoy
...gives condition for any diplomatic engagement to happen between Nigeria and SA
President Bola Tinubu has reportedly declined to receive a special envoy from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, insisting that Pretoria first implement a bilateral agreement aimed at preventing xenophobic attacks against Nigerians.
According to reports, President is said to have made the ratification and implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Early Warning Mechanism a prerequisite for any substantive high-level diplomatic engagement between the two countries.
The proposed agreement is designed to strengthen cooperation between Nigeria and South Africa through intelligence sharing, rapid response measures and early detection of threats to prevent recurring attacks on citizens living in either country.
Tinubu’s position follows renewed reports of xenophobic attacks targeting Nigerians in South Africa, despite previous diplomatic engagements between both nations aimed at addressing the issue.
Although the Federal Government remains committed to maintaining cordial bilateral relations with South Africa, President Tinubu is insisting that concrete measures to protect Nigerians must take precedence over further diplomatic engagements.
