Nigeria has questioned South Africa’s argument that economic pressures and labour market constraints justify the removal of foreign nationals, as officials and migration stakeholders raised concerns over the treatment of Nigerians returning from the country.
Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of Nigeria’s Technical Working Group on Migration and Development on Tuesday, Osita Osemene, Executive Director of the Patriotic Citizens Initiative (PCI), said the experiences of many returnees suggested that factors beyond economic concerns were driving the removals.
“I don’t believe that because looking at their actions, their action is highly xenophobic,” Osemene said, rejecting suggestions that unemployment and resource pressures alone explained the measures.
According to him, many of the affected Nigerians had lived in South Africa for between 10 and 15 years, with some married to South Africans and others running businesses that employed local citizens.
“Some of them have spent 15 years in South Africa, some 10 years, some are married to South Africans and they were all dislodged from South Africa and they are back to Nigeria, starting from square one,” he said.
He cited the case of a Nigerian entrepreneur whose business reportedly employed more than 25 South Africans but who was nevertheless asked to leave the country.
South African authorities have previously said immigration enforcement operations are aimed at addressing undocumented migration and enforcing existing laws, amid domestic concerns over unemployment and pressure on public services.
Osemene argued that accounts from returnees pointed to discrimination against African migrants and said many were struggling to rebuild their lives after returning to Nigeria.
“The integration is a process. They have to accept their situation and look at how they can restart their lives again,” he said.
Nigeria’s National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), however, defended the handling of returnees and said the government was supporting their reintegration.
Ambassador Catherine Odida, Director of Migrant Affairs at the Commission, said more than 1,000 Nigerians are scheduled to return from South Africa through a coordinated voluntary return programme.
“What we are doing here is ensuring they are safely returned and properly reintegrated,” she said.
Odida said returnees received support packages and transportation assistance to their home communities, while government agencies were providing livelihood and psychosocial support to ease their reintegration.
She also dismissed reports that some Nigerians had been abandoned during the return process.
“As we speak, nobody has been abandoned,” she said.
According to Odida, about 1,600 Nigerians registered for the programme, with returns taking place in phases due to logistical arrangements.
She added that broader diplomatic issues arising from the returns fall under the responsibility of Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
