Nigeria’s National Assembly has suspended all official visits to South Africa and directed lawmakers, committees, officials and staff to boycott legislative activities organised or hosted by South African authorities until further notice.
The decision was announced in a statement issued on Friday by the spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Akin Rotimi, following growing concerns over reported xenophobic attacks, violence, intimidation and destruction of property targeting Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa.
The directive was issued by the leadership of the National Assembly, headed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen, and communicated to the Clerk of the National Assembly for implementation.
The Clerk, Kamoru Ogunlana, was directed to communicate the decision to all senators, members of the House of Representatives, committees, departments, directorates and staff.
The National Assembly said it was particularly alarmed by reports that Nigerians had been killed, injured, displaced or forced to abandon their businesses, investments, homes and other properties as a result of xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
According to the lawmakers, the reported violence has continued despite repeated appeals by the Nigerian Federal Government and other stakeholders for South African authorities to take decisive measures to protect Nigerians and other foreign nationals and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.
Under the new directive, all official visits to South Africa by lawmakers, parliamentary committees, officials and National Assembly staff have been suspended.
The restriction also covers conferences, seminars, workshops, meetings, parliamentary exchanges and other legislative engagements organised, hosted, sponsored or co-sponsored by South African legislative authorities.
The suspension extends to both physical and virtual engagements, meaning Nigerian lawmakers and parliamentary officials are also barred from participating in online meetings and legislative programmes hosted by or from South African legislative institutions.
The National Assembly further directed that no official delegation, committee, lawmaker, official or staff member should participate in any affected engagement during the suspension without the prior express approval of the leadership of the National Assembly.
Existing arrangements, invitations and proposed programmes involving official visits or legislative engagements in South Africa are also to be reviewed in accordance with the directive.
The latest action follows previous condemnation by the National Assembly of renewed xenophobic attacks in South Africa and its support for diplomatic efforts aimed at addressing violence against Nigerians and other African nationals.
The lawmakers said the decision was necessitated by the need to protect the lives, property and legitimate interests of Nigerians while sending a strong institutional message over the reported attacks.
However, the National Assembly stressed that the suspension should not be interpreted as a rejection of Nigeria’s longstanding diplomatic and people-to-people relationship with South Africa.
It maintained that parliamentary diplomacy and inter-legislative cooperation remain important to relations between the two countries, but insisted that such engagements must be founded on mutual respect, equality and a shared commitment to protecting human life and property.
The suspension will remain in force until further notice, while the leadership of the National Assembly may review the decision depending on developments in South Africa and the effectiveness of measures taken to protect Nigerians and other foreign nationals.
The move could further increase pressure on South African authorities to address concerns over xenophobia and strengthen measures against groups and individuals involved in attacks targeting foreign nationals.
Nigeria and South Africa maintain extensive political, economic and people-to-people ties, making the latest parliamentary action a significant diplomatic signal amid renewed concerns over the treatment of Nigerians living and doing business in South Africa.