Nigeria to seek compensation for abandoned properties of citizens who fled South Africa
Nigeria is preparing to seek compensation for businesses and properties abandoned by its citizens who fled South Africa, according to the country’s High Commissioner. Officials say diplomatic staff have begun formally cataloguing assets left behind by returnees, in what is being framed as a first step toward possible restitution claims.
A diplomatic channel on a sensitive issue
The move highlights the ongoing strain in relations between Africa’s two largest economies, which have been periodically tested by reports of attacks and harassment targeting foreign nationals, including Nigerians living and working in South Africa. While both governments have repeatedly stressed the importance of their bilateral ties, the welfare of Nigerian migrants has remained a recurring point of friction.
According to the High Commission, the documentation process is intended to provide an accurate record of the scale of losses suffered by Nigerian nationals who felt compelled to leave South Africa. Officials involved in the effort say the information gathered could form the basis of formal discussions between the two governments.
Migration and longstanding tensions
Nigerians form one of the largest communities of African migrants in South Africa, with many running small and medium-sized businesses in sectors such as retail, hospitality and transport. Successive waves of violence, including attacks widely condemned as xenophobic, have periodically forced thousands of foreign nationals to seek safety, often returning home with little more than what they could carry.
Civil society groups have long called on both governments to establish clearer mechanisms for protecting migrants and for compensating those who lose their livelihoods. The new initiative by the High Commission is being viewed as a more formal, state-led approach to a problem that has previously been addressed mainly through emergency evacuations and consular assistance.
Implications for bilateral relations
The compensation question is likely to test the diplomatic relationship between Abuja and Pretoria, which cooperate closely on issues ranging from trade to security within regional bodies such as the African Union. Observers say the way the matter is handled could set a precedent for how African governments respond when their citizens are displaced or dispossessed in other countries on the continent.
Officials have not yet disclosed a timeline for completing the documentation exercise or for lodging any formal claims, but they have indicated that the High Commission will continue to engage with returning citizens to ensure their losses are properly recorded.
Source: BBC News — read the original report.
