The Nigerian Senate has said no to taking over South African-owned businesses in Nigeria, including MTN and DStv. This is despite the ongoing attacks on Nigerians living in South Africa.
The Senate strongly condemned the violence. It asked the Federal Government to do more, through diplomacy, to protect Nigerians in South Africa. This is now the second time in two months that the Senate has talked about this issue.
The topic came up again after Senator Adams Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North, spoke in the Senate. He said he was upset by comments from a South African minister, who reportedly said no compensation would be paid to Nigerians whose properties were destroyed or whose lives were lost in the attacks. Oshiomhole said that if South Africa refuses to pay compensation, Nigeria should take the profits made by South African companies here, including their banks, and use that money to pay affected Nigerians instead.
This Is Not the First Time Oshiomhole Has Said This
This is the third time in two months that Oshiomhole has pushed for tough action against South African businesses in Nigeria.
In early May 2026, he first asked the Senate to cancel the licences of MTN and DStv. He said these companies take millions of dollars out of Nigeria every day. That same week, the Senate agreed to send a group of lawmakers to South Africa, led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In mid-May 2026, he said something even stronger on TV. He suggested that MTN and similar companies be taken over by the government and later sold back to Nigerians, so the profit stays in the country. This led to a public disagreement with TV anchor Rufai Oseni, who questioned how a government could just take over people’s shares like that.
This week, after the South African minister’s comments about compensation, Oshiomhole spoke up again. This time, he asked that South African company profits be used to pay victims directly.
What the Senate Decided This Time
Even after Oshiomhole’s renewed push, the Senate did not agree to take over South African businesses. A similar idea from Senator Eshilokun Wasiu was also set aside for now.
Instead, the Senate:
- Asked its Committees on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Affairs to check on what has happened with earlier decisions and past talks with South Africa
- Gave these committees four weeks to report back
- Asked the Federal Government to keep working with other African countries and the African Union to build a proper early warning system for this kind of attack across the continent
Not Everyone in the Senate Agrees
Some senators do not agree on how to handle this. Adamu Aliero said the matter should not even be debated publicly, since the Federal Government is already handling it through diplomacy. Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin has also asked lawmakers more than once to wait for the full report before taking any strong action.
A Look at the History of Xenophobia in South Africa
To understand why this keeps happening, it helps to look back at past cases.
1994–1995: Right after apartheid ended, groups of young men in Alexandra Township destroyed the homes of migrants without proper papers. This was one of the earliest cases.
2000: Seven foreigners, including two Nigerians, were killed in Cape Town.
2008: The worst case in South Africa’s history. At least 62 people were killed, including South Africans, Mozambicans, Zimbabweans, and Somalis. It started in one area and spread across the country. The army had to step in to calm things down.
2015: Another wave of attacks killed at least 7 people. This happened after a Zulu king said foreigners should “pack their bags and go.” He later said his words were misunderstood. Thousands of people lost their homes.
2019: Riots in Johannesburg killed 12 people. About 50 businesses owned by Nigerians were destroyed or damaged. Because of this, 640 out of about 100,000 Nigerians in South Africa agreed to take free flights back home.
2026 (now): Since April, anti-immigrant groups have been holding protests in cities like Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Durban. Some of these protests have turned violent and deadly, with little response from the police.
How This Has Affected Nigerians
Nigerian officials say more than 118 Nigerians were killed in these attacks between 2015 and 2026.
In this latest wave, Nigeria has already flown hundreds of its citizens back home: 262 people on June 11, 66 on June 25, and 271 on June 30. Over 1,000 more Nigerians have signed up to return.
Two Nigerians were confirmed killed on June 28, just before protesters gave an unofficial deadline for foreigners to leave. One was reportedly killed by police, and the other by unknown attackers.
Why This Wave Is Important
South Africa’s unemployment rate is now above 43%. Some groups have been blaming foreigners for this, even though studies show this is not true. This wave of violence has also caught the attention of the United Nations and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, showing that the world is watching.
How This Has Affected Nigeria and South Africa’s Relationship
After the 2019 attacks, Nigeria called back its top diplomat from South Africa and stayed away from the World Economic Forum on Africa.
After 2019, both countries created an early warning system and a way for their embassies to work together, specifically to stop this from happening again. But since the violence has returned, that system clearly is not working well.
This year, Nigeria has again called in South Africa’s top diplomat in Nigeria to explain things. Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, said Nigerians are being harassed even when they have proper legal papers. She also reminded South Africa that Nigeria gave up a lot to support South Africa’s fight for independence.
Possible Solutions
What Nigeria Can Do:
- Use the agreement both countries signed in 2000, which already allows for compensation through legal means, instead of seizing company assets.
- Push South Africa to make real arrests and prosecute attackers, not just release statements condemning the violence.
- Fix the early warning system that was created after 2019, since it clearly did not stop this new wave of attacks.
- Plan properly for what happens to Nigerians after they return home, including help with lost jobs, businesses, and housing.
What South Africa Can Do:
- Speak out clearly against the false idea that foreigners are the reason for unemployment and crime, since studies have proven this is not true.
- Take stronger action against groups that have been linked to organising these attacks.
- Work on fixing the country’s high unemployment rate, since this appears to be the real reason behind the growing anger toward migrants.
What Africa as a Region Can Do:
Push for stronger, binding action from the African Union or SADC, instead of just statements of concern, which have followed almost every wave of attacks since 2008 without real results.
My Take
What stands out the most about this whole story is how familiar it feels. Almost every solution being talked about today has already been tried before, after 2008, after 2015, and after 2019. And yet here we are again, going through the same thing. The tools and agreements already exist. What seems to be missing is the will to actually use them properly, on both sides. Until that changes, Nigeria may keep calling in ambassadors and flying citizens home again and again, without the problem ever truly going away.
Published by Ejoh Caleb
