President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria has met with Jeff Radebe, South African President’s Special Envoy at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The duo met behind closed doors on Monday in keeping to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s pledge on Sunday, to dispatch seven of his special envoys to African countries as a way of dousing the tension created by the xenophobic attacks on Africans resident in South Africa.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the Special Envoy, who was accompanied by South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Bobby J. Moroe, arrived the State House at about 2.15 p.m, and moved straight to the president’s office.
At the meeting, Buhari recalled the roles played by Nigeria in ensuring majority rule in South Africa, and ending the apartheid segregationist policy.
The President recounted that he was a junior military officer to Generals Murtala Mohammed and Olusegun Obasanjo, who were military heads of state at different times in the mid to late 1970s.
Buhari said: “Going back to historical antecedents, we made great sacrifices for South Africa to become a free state. I was a junior officer to Gen. Murtala Muhammad, and Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo. They were not operating in a democracy, but they got Nigerians to support them in the bid to see a free South Africa.
“Our leadership was quite committed to the cause. We made sacrifices, which younger people of today may not know. During my last visit to South Africa with the late President Robert Mugabe, it was very emotional, as Mugabe spoke about Nigeria’s contribution to free South Africa.”
Buhari however extended appreciation to Ramaphosa, “for coming to explain to us what happened in South Africa recently, leading to killing and displacement of foreigners.”
Ramaphosa of South Africa had last week decided to dispatch the Special Envoys to Nigeria and six other African countries to beg for forgiveness.
A statement released by South African government spokesman, Khusela Diko, at the weekend, said: “The special envoys will deliver a message from President Ramaphosa regarding the incidents of violence that recently erupted in some partsof South Africa, which have manifested in attacks on foreign nationals and destruction of property.’’
Buhari had in the wake of the xenophobic attacks by South Africans against foreigners including Nigerians, sent Ambassador Ahmed Abubakar, Director-General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), as his Special Envoy to South Africa.
The President, who received the Report of the NIA Boss on September 9, ordered for the immediate evacuation of all Nigerians who are willing to return home from South Africa following the xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals.
NAN reports that the Management of Air Peace in collaboration with the Federal Government had on September 11 evacuated 187 Nigerians from South Africa while another set of 320 Nigerians would be evacuated from that country on Tuesday.
Ramaphosa was on Saturday during the funeral of the former Zimbabwean leader, Robert Mugabe, reported to have apologized for the attacks on foreign nationals in his country.
.NAN