President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has refused to receive a special delegation sent by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa over recent xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other Africans in South Africa.
President Tinubu instead directed the delegation to meet with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye.
The delegation, led by South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, arrived in Abuja at the weekend carrying a message from Ramaphosa.
However, the envoys were directed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deliver the message to the minister.
Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the development to Daily Trust.
Onanuga said the envoy arrived on Friday without prior notification to the Nigerian government and insisted on meeting Tinubu personally to deliver the message.
According to him, officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs found the request inappropriate.
“First of all, the envoy arrived on Friday, without prior notification to the Nigerian government. He insisted on meeting the President on Friday to deliver his Message.
“The Foreign Affairs Ministry said the request was out of order. The ministry scheduled the meeting for Monday. But President Tinubu asked the envoy to deliver his message to the Foreign Affairs Minister,” Onanuga.
He added that Tinubu directed Enikanolaiye to engage with the envoy and brief him afterwards.
Nigerians and other African nationals have recently faced renewed xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
