The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday summoned the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Kingsley Mambolo, to protest the recent deportation of Nigerian travelers to that country.
Mambolo was received by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Ambassador Martin Uhomoibhi, who conveyed Abuja’s displeasure about the matter for onward delivery to Pretoria.
Watchers say that the decision to have the envoy received by the Permanent Secretary and not the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Olugbenga Ashiru, might be government’s way of letting the South Africans know that the matter is a serious one.
A statement from the ministry issued late on Monday quoted Uhomoibhi as expressing the Federal Government’s concern in “the light of what appears to be a targeted maltreatment of Nigerians on the pretext that they did not have valid yellow fever vaccines.”
The government demanded an immediate review of this policy, which it said was baseless because there was no legitimate concern about an outbreak of yellow fever in Nigeria.
Besides, it said that the World Health Organization had not issued an alert to that effect.
The statement reads in part: “Of particular concern to the Government was the unwarranted detention of a Senator of (the) Federal Republic of Nigeria by the South African Port Health and Immigration Authorities for 48 hours at the Oliver R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.
“The Permanent Secretary informed the High Commissioner that South Africans travelling to Nigeria, or those residing in Nigeria were not required to produce any evidence of vaccination against yellow fever, or for that matter against Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, both of which are prevalent in South Africa.”
The Permanent Secretary wondered whether the latest deportation and similar acts of targeted maltreatment of Nigerians in South Africa reflected the official position of the Government of South Africa.
In response, the South African High Commissioner assured the Permanent Secretary that the policy was not aimed at Nigerians alone, and that Nigerians were not being targeted.
Further, the statement said, “He maintained that it was a general requirement for all passengers coming into the country from what he called the ‘Yellow Fever Belt’, which included many West African countries.
“He especially expressed regret about the treatment of the Senator and assured that the matter would be taken up with his Government immediately.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Government may be considering reciprocal actions against South Africans travelling to Nigeria if the former apatheid enclave.
Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro, told State House correspondents on Monday that the actions would be inevitable if Abuja found out that Pretoria had not acted in good faith.
Only on Sunday, the House Committee on Diaspora had also condemned the mass deportation of Nigerian travelers from South Africa. The travelers, who arrived in South Africa on Thursday, were deported the next day after they had been held for 24 hours.
Seventy-five of them were deported aboard a South African Airways plane, while Arik Air, a Nigerian carrier, brought 50.
Moro said, “We are trying to find out the details of the situation. South Africa is a very friendly country and we hope that they have done what they did in good faith. In our relationship with other countries we believe in reciprocal diplomacy. If we confirm that South Africa deliberately frustrated Nigerians that want to travel to South Africa, certainly Nigeria will reciprocate appropriately.
“We don’t want to speculate, I want to say that if South Africa has any reason to believe that the documents that some Nigerians were carrying were fake, it is incumbent upon us to find out the authenticity of the situation.
“I can assure you that we are going to appropriately react. But for the time being, I want to say that the Nigeria Immigration Service has the mandate to allow persons into Nigeria and people who are not qualified certainly will not be allowed to enter Nigeria. But let’s not hasten by jumping into conclusion the possible reasons why SA has repatriated Nigerians.”
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs on Monday summoned the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Gbenga Ashiru, over the deportation of 125 Nigerians from South Africa on Friday.
The committee expressed outrage about the growing maltreatment of Nigerians in other African countries. Ashiru is to appear before the committee on Tuesday (today).
The Chairman of the Committee, Nnena Elendu-Ukeje, said the deportation was an attempt by the South African authorities to ridicule Nigeria.
Elendu-Ukeje, who spoke with reporters in Abuja, said that the minister was required to clarify Nigeria’s stance on the attacks.
She said, “We are indeed worried about all this indignation and scorn Nigerians are subjected to all over the world, especially by her sister African nations, which calls for a review of our relationship with these countries.
“So, we have invited the Minister of Foreign Affairs to a meeting on Tuesday to come and explain to us, our relationship with these countries and why Nigerians are being subjected to ridicule all over the world.”
The committee chairman recalled a recent incident in South Africa where the Nigerian Embassy in that country was attacked without explanations.
She stated that in many African countries, including Togo, Nigerians were often bundled into detention at the slightest opportunity and treated like common criminals.
Elendu-Ukeje advised the Federal Government to review its relations with African countries in the light of the growing hatred for Nigerians on the continent.
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