Nigeria must protect its citizens, ADSC boss urges FG to deploy ambassador to South Africa

The President of the Africa Development Study Centre, ADSC, Sir Victor Walsh Oluwafemi, has urged the Federal Government to urgently deploy a substantive Ambassador to South Africa, insisting that the protection of Nigerian citizens abroad is a sovereign obligation.

Oluwafemi, an international development consultant and member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, made the call in a statement at the weekend against the backdrop of recurring attacks on Nigerians in the Republic of South Africa.

He said Nigeria currently has no substantive Ambassador in South Africa, warning that the vacuum poses a strategic risk at a time of persistent tensions.

“The safety of Nigerian citizens abroad is not a diplomatic courtesy. It is a sovereign obligation,” he said.

“Nigeria currently has no substantive Ambassador in South Africa. At a time when tensions and vulnerabilities persist, this absence creates a strategic gap.

“An Ambassador is not deployed for ceremony alone. An Ambassador represents national authority, deterrence, crisis engagement, and the structured defence of citizens. Strategic countries must never remain diplomatically underrepresented.

“The Federal Government should immediately deploy a substantive Ambassador to South Africa and accelerate ambassadorial postings to other relevant high-risk jurisdictions.”

He also called on the government to summon the South African High Commissioner in Abuja for formal engagement and demand clear assurances regarding the safety of Nigerian nationals.

According to him, incidents involving the killing or violent targeting of Nigerians abroad must attract visible diplomatic action within 24 hours, warning that delayed responses weaken deterrence and embolden repetition.

Oluwafemi said the issue extends beyond South Africa, noting that a troubling perception is emerging in parts of the continent that Nigeria can be treated with “casual disregard.”

“From regulatory hostility to public rhetoric and sporadic violence, the pattern must not be allowed to normalise. Nigeria is Africa’s largest population and one of its leading economies. Its citizens must never be treated as expendable,” he said.

He stressed that attacks on Nigerians abroad have implications for investor confidence, diaspora morale, bilateral negotiations and Nigeria’s continental leadership credibility.

“Reputation is national infrastructure. When Nigerians are attacked without consequence, it affects investor confidence, diaspora morale, bilateral negotiations, and continental leadership credibility,” he stated.

He urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to strengthen rapid response protocols and institutionalise structured escalation mechanisms for diaspora-related incidents.

“The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs should strengthen rapid response protocols, establish structured escalation mechanisms for diaspora incidents, and ensure that all missions in sensitive jurisdictions operate with clear protective mandates. Citizen protection must be institutionalised, not improvised.”