Nigeria’s Vice-President Kashim Shettima has said Nigerian scholarship allowances were deducted to fund apartheid liberation movements in South Africa.
Shettima spoke on Sunday in Sierra Leone, during the 69th ordinary session of the ECOWAS heads of state.
While condemning the recent xenophobic violence in South Africa, the vice-president urged West African leaders to present the matter at the next African Union (AU) summit.
Shettima said a united voice from the bloc would send “a clear message that this kind of intolerance is unacceptable”.
“While we tread the path of moderation, South Africa should be reminded that the freedom the country currently enjoys is due to the liberation efforts of African countries such as Nigeria and Ghana,” he added.
“Deductions were made from our scholarship allowances to fund liberation movements in Southern Africa.
“They should learn to know where their problem lies. Their problems do not lie with fellow Africans who are there to sell their skills.”
Nigeria has been vocal about its grievances with the South African government since the latest xenophobic crisis began in April.
At least four Nigerians were killed in the violent protests.
Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, minister of foreign affairs, had said Nigeria was not happy because the West African country “sacrificed much for the South African struggle for independence”.
“Nigeria sacrificed quite a lot, committed funds, committed resources to aid South Africa. In schools, seats were reserved for South African students. My own generation carried placards; we demonstrated in front of South African assets,” she said.
“Sometimes we even got arrested for doing this. Nigeria is a serious frontline state, and Nigerians are not happy about how they have been treated. They are not asking other migrants to leave; they’re only asking black migrants to leave.”
The federal government evacuated 1,490 nationals from South Africa in seven batches after rights groups set an unofficial June 30 deadline for migrants to leave the country.
Nigeria has said while it is prepared to continue diplomatic engagements on the matter, retaliatory measures are not off the table.
