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 said Nigeria’s involvement in the anti-apartheid campaign was guided by the belief that no Black person should be treated as inferior because of their skin colour.
The former president made the remarks during an interview on C-Suite Cafe, hosted by Ikem Okuhu.
According to Obasanjo, Nigeria supported the struggle without seeking personal or national benefits, but acted out of a broader commitment to the interests and dignity of Black people.
“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,” he said.
He described Nigeria’s role as “enlightened self-interest” and said the country should remain proud of its contribution to the anti-apartheid struggle.
“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,” Obasanjo said.
Obasanjo, who served as Nigeria’s military head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as civilian president from 1999 to 2007, said Nigeria worked with several African and international leaders in opposing apartheid.
Those he mentioned included 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.
The former president also criticised xenophobic attacks against African migrants in South Africa, arguing that authorities had not done enough to address the problem.
Obasanjo acknowledged that some migrants may have violated immigration laws or committed crimes but rejected the use of such offences to 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,” he said.
He questioned how much migrants contribute to South Africa’s employment challenges and pointed out that some immigrants are also job creators.
Obasanjo said he had been told that South Africa’s ruling African National Congress, ANC, was facing difficulties meeting the expectations of ordinary citizens.
He argued, however, that frustration over economic conditions should not be used to justify attacks on migrants.
According to him, the challenge of unmet expectations is not unique to South Africa, as countries including Nigeria and Kenya also face similar concerns.
He called for greater African integration, stressing that using illegal means to address alleged illegality was not a sustainable solution.
