Nigeria-South Africa relations

The two giants of Africa, Nigeria and South Africa’s relationship could be a brotherly love gone sour over the years. They are mainly the struggle for independence from apartheid regime and the xenophobic attacks. The Nigerian government and its people showed great love to its South African brothers during the apartheid era.

Although the government of Nigeria headed by President Muhammadu Buhari is said to be meeting with the South African government on the matter of its xenophobic attacks on Nigerian citizens, the government should provide the necessary environment to encourage its citizens to stop looking for greener pastures elsewhere.

The Nigeria-South Africa relationship has indeed gone sour. Although the blame goes majorly to the Nigerian government which has failed to secure its citizens within and outside its territory, South Africa needs to rise up on its own part to curb all the attacks on Nigerians, at least to reciprocate the past gestures of Nigeria. Nigeria will always stand by South Africa just as it has always done, because Africa remains the center piece of Nigeria’s foreign policy. That has been the position of International relations experts. No ties should be severed but Nigeria must be a giant to its citizens as well as the giant of Africa.

Ukpong Victoria

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