Friday, November 13, 2026 - Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has condemned the targeting of Nigerians and other black Africans in South Africa, describing the hostility as a contradiction of the liberation struggles that united African countries against colonialism and racial oppression, which its former President, Nelson Mandela, stood for.
Tuggar spoke on Thursday at the 2026 end-of-year event of
The Bridge Club, held at the Continental Hotel in Lagos, where he was chairman
of the occasion.
Renowned Kenyan scholar and Pan-African advocate, Prof.
P.L.O. Lumumba, delivered the keynote address.
The former Foreign Affairs minister said it was unacceptable
that Africans who benefited from the solidarity of other countries during the
fight against apartheid were now facing discrimination, intimidation and
hostility on the same continent.
Tuggar warned that the development threatened the
foundations of Pan-Africanism, insisting that Africa’s ambition for unity and
shared prosperity would remain unattainable if citizens were unwelcome in other
African countries because of their nationality or origin.
Recalling Nigeria’s contributions to the liberation of
Southern Africa, Tuggar said the country had committed considerable resources
and diplomatic support to the struggle against apartheid and minority rule.
He noted that Nigeria’s intervention included scholarships
and assistance to victims of apartheid, particularly South African students who
survived the 1976 Soweto massacre.
He also recalled the country’s support for liberation
movements and independence struggles in Namibia, Angola and other African
territories subjected to colonialism and racial discrimination.
According to him, the experience of his generation, which
grew up embracing the ideals of African liberation, made the present treatment
of Nigerians and other black Africans in South Africa difficult to reconcile
with the continent’s history.
Tuggar said: “These are but a very few of the reasons why
Nigerians cannot fathom why they and other black Africans are being targeted in
South Africa.
“Call it Afrophobia, which may be a better description than
xenophobia, as non-black Africans appear to be exempted, or the more
euphemistic framing of anti-migration protests; it is wrong and must be
condemned.”
He said the hostility was emerging at a time when African
countries ought to be consolidating their relationships to improve their
collective economic strength and influence in global affairs.
While calling for condemnation of the attacks, the former
minister said a proper understanding of the historical circumstances
responsible for discrimination was necessary to address the problem.
He traced the persistence of segregation and prejudice in
African societies partly to colonial policies and the apartheid system, whose
psychological and social effects, he argued, continued to shape interactions
among communities.
Tuggar called for stronger institutions, historical
consciousness and intellectual engagement to challenge attitudes capable of
weakening African solidarity.
He further argued that the continent’s commitment to
Pan-Africanism must be reflected in economic policies, particularly
industrialisation and the removal of barriers to trade among African countries.
According to him, Africa would struggle to achieve economic
independence if it continued exporting raw materials while relying on other
regions for manufactured goods.
He referenced the ideas of Nigerian development economist
Adebayo Adedeji, and other African thinkers who advocated manufacturing,
regional economic cooperation and the establishment of an African Economic
Community.
Tuggar identified the African Continental Free Trade Area as
an important framework for advancing the vision through expanded trade,
industrialisation and the movement of goods and services across the continent.
He maintained that the free movement of workers was equally
necessary if African countries were to achieve the full benefits of continental
economic integration.
He said: “The path to Pan-Africanism is through the
continental free trade area.
“As the father of capitalism, Adam Smith, once opined, the
free circulation of labour is the foundation of any free trade system.”
The former minister also raised concerns about the possible
role of external interests in encouraging anti-migrant campaigns, urging
greater scrutiny of the organisations and funding behind such activities.
He warned that Nigeria and South Africa could not afford to
allow xenophobic hostility and mutual suspicion to undermine their
relationship, given its importance to Africa’s wider interests.
Tuggar recalled South Africa’s support for Nigeria’s
international engagements, including its efforts to secure membership of the
Group of 20 (G20).
Earlier, President of The Bridge Club, Abdulhakeem Mustapha
(SAN), said the event’s theme, Xenophobia Contradicts Pan-Africanism,
challenged African leaders and citizens to examine the gap between their
declarations of unity and their treatment of fellow Africans.
He argued that the principles of Pan-Africanism should be
reflected in the daily conduct of Africans rather than restricted to diplomatic
engagements, political speeches and economic agreements.
He asked: “How can we genuinely aspire to a united Africa
when an African is made to feel unwelcome, unsafe or unwanted in another
African country simply because of nationality, ethnicity or origin?”
Mustapha said the continent’s prosperity, security and
dignity were inseparable, stressing that no African country could achieve
sustainable progress by undermining another.
He urged members of the club and other stakeholders to
encourage tolerance, mutual respect and understanding among people from
different national and cultural backgrounds.
The gathering attracted professionals, business leaders,
diplomats and other distinguished guests to deliberate on xenophobia, African
unity and the need to build a more inclusive continent.
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