Nigeria seeks compensation from South Africa over abandoned assets

Nigeria seeks compensation from South Africa after dozens of its citizens voluntarily returned home amid recent anti-immigration tensions, leaving behind businesses, vehicles and other property.

All Africa reports, Nigerian officials say they are documenting these abandoned assets before formally approaching the South African government to discuss possible compensation.  According to Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner to South Africa, the process follows the latest voluntary repatriation programme ahead of the 30 June anti-immigration protests.

Alexander Ajayi said discussions with South African officials had already started. ‘We are going to ask our people who are returning to begin to document what they are leaving behind, ‘ he said.

He said returnees had been instructed to record businesses, vehicles and both movable and immovable property before departing. ‘We can now take it up with the South African government. That is the next step we are going to take.’

Ajayi added that the Nigerian government intends to verify the location of every reported business and property with South African authorities before seeking compensation.

Another group of Nigerian nationals arrived in Lagos on Tuesday as part of the government’s voluntary repatriation programme.

The latest arrivals followed earlier evacuation flights during June as fears grew ahead of nationwide anti-immigration demonstrations in South Africa.

Ahead of the protests, President Cyril Ramaphosa urged South Africans to demonstrate peacefully while warning that violence, intimidation and vigilantism would not be tolerated.

‘The right to protest is one of the defining freedoms of our democracy, but every right carries corresponding responsibilities.’

Business Day reports, Ramaphosa said criminal acts committed during demonstrations would be dealt with according to the law.

Migration researcher Aimée-Noël Mbiyozo, a Senior Research Consultant at the Institute for Security Studies, has previously argued that migration itself is not the root cause of South Africa’s challenges saying, ‘Weak institutions, not migrants themselves, are at the core of South Africa’s migration challenges.’

Her assessment reflects wider research suggesting that improving governance and migration management is essential to reducing tensions surrounding migration.