ABUJA-(MaraviPost)-Nigeria’s National Assembly has suspended all official visits to South Africa and will boycott any legislative activities hosted or organised by South African institutions until further notice.
The decision was announced on Friday by the Office of the House Spokesman and was issued jointly by the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives, led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House Abbas Tajudeen.
The Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, communicated the directive to senators, members, committees and staff.
According to the statement, the move follows consultations between both chambers and comes amid continuing reports of xenophobic attacks in South Africa targeting Nigerians and other African nationals.
The National Assembly cited incidents of killings, injuries, displacement and destruction of property that have forced some Nigerians to abandon businesses, homes and investments.
The parliament said it is particularly concerned that the attacks have persisted despite repeated appeals by the Nigerian federal government and other stakeholders for South African authorities to take decisive action to protect foreign nationals and bring perpetrators to justice.
The directive covers all forms of engagement. It suspends official visits by the National Assembly, its committees, lawmakers, officials and staff.
It also bars participation in conferences, seminars, workshops, meetings, parliamentary exchanges and other events organised, hosted, sponsored or co-sponsored by the Parliament of South Africa or other South African legislative bodies.
The suspension applies to both physical and virtual meetings.
No delegation or individual from the National Assembly may take part in such engagements without prior express approval from the leadership.
All existing invitations and proposed programmes involving South Africa will be reviewed in line with the directive.
The statement said the decision does not signal a break in Nigeria’s broader diplomatic and people-to-people relations with South Africa.
Rather, it is described as a measured response aimed at protecting the safety, dignity and welfare of Nigerian citizens abroad.
The National Assembly called on the South African government to take urgent steps to protect Nigerians and other foreign nationals, prevent further attacks, investigate reported incidents, arrest suspects and ensure prosecutions where warranted.
It noted that protecting law-abiding foreign nationals and prosecuting those responsible are basic obligations under the rule of law.
The parliament also urged state Houses of Assembly across Nigeria to consider similar action. It reaffirmed its commitment to monitoring the situation of Nigerians in South Africa.
The boycott and suspension will remain in force until further notice, subject to review by the leadership of the National Assembly as circumstances change.
Leave a Reply