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Although Nigeria
contributed much to liberate South Africa from the stranglehold of
apartheid and, thereafter, threw her economic doors wide open for South
African investors and goods, these actions have not stopped a low
estimation of her citizens by South Africans, the South African High
Commissioner to Nigeria, Kingsley Mamabola, said on Tuesday, in Abuja,
at a meeting with the minister of interior, Emmanuel Ihenachor.

Answering a
question from NEXT at the meeting planned to explore ways of broadening
the existing bilateral relationship between both countries, Mr.
Mamabolo gave reasons for the increasing hostilities and physical
attacks launched against Nigerians in South Africa.

According to him,
the regard for Nigerians in South Africa is very low because the
criminal activities of a few Nigerian citizens there are the most
visible things to the hosts. He denied, however, any insinuation of
government backing for the attacks, insisting that a lot of effort was
being made to offer Nigerians in South Africa more protection under the
law.

“There is a lot
that needs to be done about the perception of South Africans about
Nigerians. The perception South Africans have about Nigerians is not
good at all. Those Nigerians of a very tiny percentage – I will say
just about one percent – engage in crimes that are generally seen by
all and which overshadow the good works of the majority of Nigerians.

“South Africa is a
law abiding society. There is law and order in our country. There is no
lawlessness. South Africans as a whole fight for human rights in
general. So, it is not true that the government is not doing anything
on the situation. It is only in the newspapers that you see that (the
hostility against Nigerians),” Mr. Mamabola said.

Responding, Mr.
Ihenachor openly refuted a tag of ‘haven of piracy’ and related
criminal activities wrongly placed on Nigeria in the global maritime
industry.

Poor perception

The minister
denounced the poor perception and challenged promoting the perception
to either show evidence of the high activities of pirates in Nigeria or
stop the image smear.

“I remember that he
said that when he (Mr. Mamabolo) was posted here (to Nigeria), people
were saying: ‘why are they punishing you? Why are they sending you
here?’

“Now, he is enjoying Nigeria. It is an issue of perception,” the Nigerian minister said.

“If you read the
papers and go on the Internet, you will never want to come to Nigeria
because they say Nigeria is the second piracy capital in the whole
world. This is untrue. I, as a master mariner, I have always been
saying that I have not seen even one pirate in Nigeria. I do not know
where those reports are coming from. If you report that Nigeria is a
piracy nation, then there is a tendency that insurance on all the goods
coming to Nigeria will rise,” Mr. Ihenachor said.

Mr. Mamabolo
promised to look into the case of the deportation of a Nigerian from
South Africa for non-possession of yellow card, with a view to
preventing a future occurrence.

Apart from
immigration issues, other areas the FG is planning to explore through
the meeting with the South African government include prison management
and maritime enterprise.

The South African
government says it hopes to learn from Nigeria how it has successfully
engaged in international peacekeeping for years now, as well as how it
has effectively managed the conflicts of its federating units to form
unity in diversity.