President Bola Tinubu has declined to personally receive a special envoy from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa sent to Abuja amid renewed xenophobic attacks targeting Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa.
Instead, the President directed the South African delegation to deliver its message to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye.
The delegation, headed by South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, arrived in Nigeria over the weekend carrying a message from President Ramaphosa. However, rather than granting an audience with President Tinubu, Nigerian authorities referred the delegation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The development was confirmed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who explained that the envoy’s request to see the President did not follow established diplomatic procedures.
According to Onanuga, the delegation arrived in Abuja on Friday without prior notice to the Nigerian government and sought an immediate meeting with President Tinubu to personally hand over the South African leader’s message.
He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered the request irregular and scheduled discussions for Monday instead.
“First of all, the envoy arrived on Friday without prior notification to the Nigerian government. He insisted on meeting the President on Friday to deliver his message,” Onanuga said.
“The Foreign Affairs Ministry said the request was out of order. The ministry scheduled the meeting for Monday. But President Tinubu asked the envoy to deliver his message to the Foreign Affairs Minister.”
Onanuga further disclosed that the President instructed Ambassador Enikanolaiye to receive the delegation, engage with its members, and subsequently brief him on the outcome of the discussions.
The diplomatic development comes against the backdrop of fresh reports of xenophobic attacks in South Africa, where Nigerians and other African migrants have reportedly faced renewed violence and hostility, prompting concerns over the safety of foreign nationals and renewed calls for stronger diplomatic engagement between both countries.
