Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has berated the President Bola Tinubu administration for what he described as a shamefully slow and inadequate response to the renewed wave of anti-immigrant violence in South Africa.
According to him, Nigeria's hesitancy while smaller nations acted decisively had exposed the hollowness of the country's claim to continental leadership.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku drew a parallel between Ghana's response and Nigeria's, noting that Accra had approved the immediate evacuation of over 300 distressed citizens following the latest xenophobic threats while Abuja appeared paralysed, reactive, and stripped of the urgency the moment demanded.
"It is deeply troubling that Nigeria, a country that prides itself as the leader of the Black world and the giant of Africa, once again found itself reacting instead of leading in a moment of continental crisis.
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"When the first signs of danger emerged, smaller African nations acted with clarity, compassion, and urgency. Ghana moved decisively. Others issued strong advisories and activated protective mechanisms for their nationals. But Nigeria, whose citizens have historically borne the brunt of xenophobic violence in South Africa, moved with the lethargy that has become the defining trademark of this administration", he said.
While acknowledging that the Nigerian government had eventually spoken and mentioned repatriation talks, Atiku dismissed the belated response as falling far short of the standard expected of Africa's most populous nation.
He said; "This is not about whether the government eventually responded. It is about whether that response reflected the urgency, seriousness, and leadership expected of a responsible government. By every objective standard, it did not".
The former vice president painted a grim picture of the recurring ordeal faced by Nigerians in South Africa -- cycles of intimidation, looting, harassment, and xenophobic hostility that had destroyed businesses, endangered lives, and left families gripped by fear -- arguing that successive Nigerian governments had responded with the same ineffectual script each time.
"Summon diplomats, issue cautious statements, and retreat into bureaucratic inertia until the next crisis erupts.
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"A government that waits until other nations have taken the lead before acting sends a dangerous signal. It is frankly humiliating that Ghana, with far fewer diplomatic resources and citizens abroad, projected stronger leadership and clearer compassion than Nigeria in this moment," he said.
According to him, the Federal Government must take concrete steps including issuing a robust and unambiguous travel advisory, activating efficient evacuation arrangements for willing citizens, intensifying diplomatic engagement with South African authorities, and rallying the African Union towards a lasting continental framework against recurring xenophobic violence.
"Africa cannot continue to preach unity while tolerating periodic persecution of fellow Africans. And Nigeria cannot continue to posture as a continental leader while behaving like a reluctant observer," Atiku said.
He specifically called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to shed what he described as its habitual slow-footedness and rise to the demands of a moment in which both lives and national dignity were at stake.
