Tinubu Rejects Meeting with South African Envoy

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declined to meet a special delegation from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa concerning recent xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other Africans in South Africa. The delegation, led by South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, arrived in Abuja over the weekend with a message from President Ramaphosa.

However, President Tinubu directed the envoys to meet with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, instead. Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, confirmed that the delegation arrived without prior notification to the Nigerian government and insisted on meeting the President to deliver their message.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs deemed this request inappropriate, scheduling a meeting for Monday, but President Tinubu instructed that the message be delivered to the Foreign Affairs Minister. This decision comes amid renewed xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa.