By Folarin Kehinde
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has revealed that South Africa is yet to sign a proposed Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, on the protection of Nigerians and other Africans six years after discussions began.
Dabiri-Erewa disclosed this during an X conversation organised by The Progressive NG titled, “Leveraging Diaspora Strength for Nigeria’s Next Phase of Growth.”
According to her, the agreement, known as the Early Warning Signal Mechanism, is designed to compel South African authorities to respond swiftly whenever Nigerians are threatened during xenophobic attacks or related crises.
“We have an MoU with South Africa, the early warning signal mechanism. They have to sign it.
“So, the minister is putting pressure on them to sign this MoU. It’s been there for about six years.”.she said.
She explained that once signed, the pact would become binding on South African authorities to intervene immediately whenever Nigerians are in danger.
“And if they sign it, what it means is that it is binding. When you hear there’s a crisis, you have to save our people, rescue them. If a Nigerian is committing a crime, you know what to do with them,” she added.
The NiDCOM boss said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has continued diplomatic engagements with her South African counterpart to ensure the agreement is finalised.
She also urged Nigerians living in South Africa to remain calm and avoid actions that could worsen tensions.
“In the meantime, we urge our people to stay calm, don’t look for trouble. If you can’t go to your shop, just manage,” she said.
Dabiri-Erewa further disclosed that Ghana has requested that the issue of xenophobia in South Africa be discussed at the next meeting of the African Union, AU.
“It will be discussed at the next AU meeting to tackle the issue of xenophobia in South Africa,” she said.
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