Tinubu Declines Meeting With South African Envoy Amid Xenophobia Tensions

President Bola Tinubu has declined a request to meet a special envoy from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, according to Presidency sources familiar with the matter.

The South African delegation, led by the country’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, arrived in Abuja on Friday bearing a message from President Ramaphosa. However, sources said the delegation sought an audience with President Tinubu without prior notice.

The development comes amid renewed xenophobic attacks targeting Nigerians and other foreign nationals in South Africa, with the Nigerian government continuing to demand stronger measures from Pretoria to protect its citizens and ensure those responsible for the violence are held accountable.

Instead of meeting President Tinubu, the delegation is expected to hold talks with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye.

Efforts by the media to obtain official comments from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs were unsuccessful, as neither had responded to enquiries as of the time of filing this report.