President Bola Tinubu on Monday declined to receive a special delegation from South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, over the ongoing xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, directing the visiting team to instead meet with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye.
Multiple credible Presidency sources with knowledge of the development confirmed to PUNCH Online that the delegation, led by South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, had sought an audience with the President after arriving in Abuja on Friday.
Instead, Tinubu instructed them to engage with Enikanolaiye, who was appointed Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in June 2026 after Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu was elevated to the substantive ministerial position following the exit of Yusuf Tuggar.
The development comes amid a diplomatic row between both countries over renewed xenophobic attacks targeting Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa, which forced the evacuation of nearly 600 Nigerians back home.
One Presidency source said, “They actually came here on Friday wanting to see the President. But there was no prior notice.
“And we said we can’t just allow you to see the President without first asking him if he is available. So we asked, and the President said they could come on Monday.
“But when Monday came, he simply said they should go and meet the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Enikanolaiye, and whatever they discuss, the Minister would come and brief him.”
A second source confirmed the President’s decision, saying, “I just confirmed it. He is not seeing them. The meeting is not happening.”
A third Presidency official added, “We don’t have that on the schedule today.”
The South African delegation reportedly remained in Abuja throughout the weekend after arriving on July 24, carrying a message from Ramaphosa.
Sources further disclosed that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who is attending official engagements in Addis Ababa, had advised that it was not an appropriate time for the President to personally receive the South African delegation while attacks on Nigerians and their businesses were still ongoing.
Receiving the South African delegation in Abuja, Enikanolaiye said Tinubu directed him to engage the envoys on resolving the crisis, stressing that the longstanding relationship between Nigeria and South Africa should not be undermined by attacks on African migrants.
“It is with profound pleasure that I welcome our brothers from South Africa. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had actually asked us to meet with you and exchange views and perspectives on how to address and resolve the ongoing Afrophobic attacks in South Africa, of which Nigerians, and other citizens of Africa, have been victims,” he said.
The minister lamented the recurring attacks on Nigerians, recalling that such incidents had persisted for decades.
“We have seen a pattern emerge as early as 1995, 1998, 2006, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024 and 2026. It is on record that from 2022 alone, 98 Nigerians have died in mob actions, in hate-related actions that we have called Afrophobia, because we found that the preponderant victims of this ugly situation are Africans and Nigerians in particular,” he said.
Enikanolaiye recalled Nigeria’s role in supporting South Africa’s liberation from apartheid and said the violence was inconsistent with the relationship both countries had built over the years.
He stressed that while Nigeria does not support criminality, anyone accused of committing offences should face due process rather than mob violence.
“If someone is, quote-unquote, a criminal for drug trafficking, there are rules, there are regulations for when they are arrested, prosecuted, and jailed.”