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Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima has said Nigeria will not accept the dehumanisation of its citizens in South Africa.
Shettima spoke to the press on Monday while departing Luanda, Angola, for Nigeria after representing President Bola Tinubu at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union.
Speaking on the strained relations between Nigeria and South Africa, he said Nigeria would no longer tolerate situations where its citizens are humiliated or subjected to unacceptable treatment.
He said Nigeria and other African countries share a history of struggle and liberation, stressing that what unites Africans remains greater than their differences.
“We believe that what binds us together is Africans surpassing whatever that divides us,” Shettima said.
He recalled Nigeria’s role in supporting the liberation struggle in Southern Africa, saying the country was personally pained by reports of Nigerians being picked up and humiliated.
“We are part of the struggle for the liberation of our brothers and sisters in southern Africa.”
“We feel personally pained that our people have been picked up for humiliation, and the government and people of Nigeria will no longer countenance a situation whereby our people are dehumanised,” he said.
However, Shettima stressed that Nigeria would pursue dialogue rather than escalate tensions with South Africa.
“But we believe in having very robust conversations with our South African brothers,” he said.
He added that Nigeria would make its position clear whenever situations involving its citizens become unacceptable.
“We don’t want to overheat the quality, but once in a while you have to make it very clear, vehemently clear, that certain situations are unacceptable, and we’ll work things out,” Shettima said.
The Vice President maintained that Nigeria remains committed to finding common ground with South Africa.
“As I said, what binds us together surpasses whatever that divides us. We’ll find a way out,” he said.
“The government and people of Nigeria will no longer countenance a situation whereby our people are dehumanised and put into very unacceptable situations.”
Vice President Kashim Shettima says Nigeria values its ties with South Africa but will not accept the humiliation of its… pic.twitter.com/gzpqFdJbQa
— News Central TV (@NewsCentralTV) September 1, 2026
