Fix passport delays, curb xenophobia, Nigerians in S’Africa urge Fani-Kayode

FILE: Former Minister of Aviation, High-Commissioner to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode

The Nigerian Union South Africa has urged the newly appointed Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, Ambassador Femi Fani-Kayode, to address passport processing delays, xenophobic attacks and harassment of Nigerian-owned businesses.

The organisation also called for stronger welfare support for Nigerians in distress and greater engagement with the South African government to protect the lives, property and interests of Nigerian citizens living in the country.

The President-General of NUSA, Attorney Smart Nwobi, made the demands during a community engagement function in Johannesburg, according to a statement issued by the association on Wednesday.

Nwobi, who formally welcomed Fani-Kayode to his new diplomatic assignment, pledged the organisation’s support for the ambassador in addressing challenges confronting Nigerians in South Africa and the neighbouring countries of Lesotho and Eswatini.

“Your Excellency, your reputation precedes you,” Nwobi said, describing the new envoy as a distinguished lawyer, a gifted orator and writer, a former Minister of Aviation, and a seasoned public servant.

He added, “Over the years you have shown courage in speaking your convictions and skill in the arena of diplomacy and public life. That sagacity and experience are exactly what this post demands.”

The organisation believes Fani-Kayode’s appointment presents an opportunity to strengthen relations between the Nigerian diplomatic mission and the diaspora community.

The group identified passport and documentation services as one of its priority concerns, calling for improvements in the slow, costly and difficult process of obtaining or renewing Nigerian passports at the High Commission and Consulate.

It also urged the new envoy to pursue stronger diplomatic engagement with the South African authorities to address xenophobic attacks and safeguard Nigerian lives and property.

Other areas requiring attention, according to NUSA, include the fair treatment of Nigerian entrepreneurs, the utilisation of diaspora professionals’ expertise for Nigeria’s development and the establishment of support mechanisms for vulnerable Nigerians across Southern Africa.

Nwobi expressed optimism that the new High Commissioner would provide the leadership needed to address the concerns of Nigerians in the region.

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“Your coming to South Africa at this time is divine orchestration.

“Our community has had its trials, and we have prayed for a listening ear and a steady hand. We believe God has answered those prayers by sending you. We say, in faith, that you are the right man, in the right place, at the right time,’ the association states.

NUSA pledged to work with the Nigerian Mission by providing information, mobilising community members and coordinating engagement with Nigerians across the region.
“We do not come only to present problems. We come as partners.

“NUSA pledges to stand with you at every level, with information, mobilization, and community-level coordination,” the association said.

The organisation also called for formal frameworks to harness the expertise of Nigerian doctors, engineers, academics and entrepreneurs living abroad, saying their skills could contribute to Nigeria’s development.

Nwobi said NUSA would continue to serve Nigerians irrespective of their location, describing the organisation’s role as building bridges between the diaspora community and the Nigerian Mission, as well as between Nigeria and South Africa.

“A father does not choose among his children,” he said, reaffirming the organisation’s commitment to Nigerians living in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria, Lesotho, Eswatini and other parts of Southern Africa.

Fani-Kayode’s appointment as High Commissioner to South Africa, with concurrent accreditation to Lesotho and Eswatini, comes amid calls for stronger diplomatic engagement to address the welfare and security concerns of Nigerians abroad.

NUSA said it looked forward to working with the envoy to tackle longstanding challenges facing the diaspora community and create opportunities for Nigerians to contribute to both their host country and their homeland.

The organisation described its vision as one of unity and collective progress, captured in its slogan, “One Nigeria, Global Impact.”