FG to Seek Compensation for Nigerians’ Abandoned Businesses, Properties in South Africa

• The Federal Government says it will seek compensation from South Africa for businesses and properties abandoned by Nigerians returning home under its voluntary evacuation programme…

The Federal Government says it will seek compensation from the South African government for businesses and properties abandoned by Nigerians returning home under its voluntary evacuation programme.

Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner to South Africa, Alexander Ajayi, disclosed this on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, as another batch of evacuated Nigerians was expected to arrive in Lagos.

According to Ajayi, the government has already directed returnees to properly document all businesses and assets they are leaving behind, including shops, vehicles, and other movable and immovable properties.

“I have asked them before they left yesterday to document very accurately those things they were leaving behind in terms of businesses, in terms of even cars, movable and immovable properties. We can now take it up with the South African government. That is the next step we are going to take.”

He said the Federal Government had already discussed the issue with South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Finance and would pursue compensation after verifying the information provided by affected Nigerians.

Ajayi stressed that the evacuation exercise would go beyond simply bringing citizens back home.

“This repatriation will not end with just taking people to Nigeria. We are going to systematically follow up… and present them to the South African government for possible compensation because we will not allow the labour people have suffered to build over the years to just go down the drain.”

The envoy also rejected claims that most Nigerians living in South Africa were undocumented, explaining that many entered the country legally but became victims of prolonged delays in renewing their immigration documents.

“Many… were caught in this web of delay, so you cannot rightly claim that these were undocumented because most of them came to the country legally.”

The latest evacuation follows planned anti-immigration protests in South Africa, prompting the Nigerian government to intensify efforts to assist citizens willing to return home.

Former Nigerian Ambassador to Switzerland, Joseph Ayalogu, also called on Nigeria and other African countries to demand compensation for victims of xenophobic attacks, insisting those who lost businesses and investments deserved justice.