By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said South Africa would not have ended apartheid when it did without Nigeria’s support for the struggle against white minority rule.
Obasanjo made the remark in an interview on C-Suite Cafe, hosted by Ikem Okuhu, where he said Nigeria’s involvement was driven by the conviction that no Black person should be regarded as inferior because of their skin colour.
He said Nigeria supported the anti-apartheid struggle without seeking personal or national gain, describing its intervention as “enlightened self-interest.”
“We were not doing what we did in South Africa or in Southern Africa or decolonisation anywhere for our personal gain or for our country. We did it for our race,” Obasanjo said.
“I believe that no Black man anywhere or Black person anywhere should be regarded as an inferior human being because of his colour. That was the principle; we stuck with it and fought for it.”
Obasanjo, who served as military Head of State from 1976 to 1979 and civilian President from 1999 to 2007, said Nigeria should be proud of its contribution to the liberation struggle.
“And for me—and I believe for Nigeria at that time and even now—we should be proud of what we did because without Nigeria, South Africa would not have got rid of apartheid when it got rid of it. That is true,” he said.
He recalled that Nigeria worked with African and international leaders, including former US President Jimmy Carter, former British Prime Minister James Callaghan, former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere, Zambia’s Kenneth Kaunda, former Mozambican President Samora Machel and Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, in opposing apartheid.
On the treatment of African migrants in South Africa, Obasanjo condemned xenophobic attacks and said the country’s leaders had not done enough to address the problem.
He acknowledged that some migrants might have breached immigration laws or committed crimes but maintained that such offences did not justify attacks on their homes and businesses.
“There are criminals among the illegal migrants, but I do not believe that you use illegality to treat illegality, asking and encouraging area boys and area girls to break into their houses and break into their shops,” he said.
Obasanjo also questioned the extent to which migrants were responsible for South Africa’s economic challenges, noting that some were job creators and asking what the country would gain by forcing them out.
“I believe that it’s not in the best interest of South Africa or Africa in what has happened. What is the percentage of these immigrants? Also, some of them are job creators. Three, how much of your jobs are they taking over, and if you get these people out, what will be the total outcome for South Africa?” he asked.
He said he had been told that the African National Congress (ANC) was facing political difficulties in meeting the expectations of ordinary South Africans, but cautioned that xenophobia was not the right response.
“I was trying to find out, but people told me the ANC is having a political problem of meeting the expectations of the ordinary people. That may be true, and if that is happening, that is not the right way to go about it,” he said.
Obasanjo noted that unmet expectations among ordinary citizens were common across Africa, including Nigeria and Kenya, and called for greater integration and cooperation among African countries.
“It’s not only in South Africa but everywhere. The expectations of ordinary people are not being met in Nigeria, Kenya and almost all countries in Africa. I believe if we are talking of integration, coming up together, I believe using illegality to treat illegality is not the way out.”
