Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has declared that 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 driven by a commitment to racial equality rather than personal or national gain.
The former President spoke in an interview on C-Suite Cafe, hosted by Ikem Okuhu.
According to him, Nigeria supported the liberation struggle because of the belief that no Black person should be treated as inferior because of skin colour.
“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.
“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,” he said.
Obasanjo, who served as military Head of State from 1976 to 1979 and civilian President from 1999 to 2007, described Nigeria’s role in the anti-apartheid struggle as “enlightened self-interest.”
He said Nigeria should be proud of its contribution, stressing that the country played a decisive role in the campaign that eventually brought apartheid to an end.
“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,” Obasanjo said.
The former President said Nigeria worked with several African and international leaders in opposing apartheid and advancing decolonisation.
He listed former United States 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 among those involved in the struggle.
Obasanjo also condemned xenophobic attacks against African migrants in South Africa, saying the country’s leadership had failed to do enough to address the problem.
He acknowledged that some migrants might have violated immigration laws or committed crimes but insisted that such offences could 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.
The former President argued that migrants should not be scapegoated for South Africa’s economic challenges, noting that some had become job creators.
He also suggested that political pressure on the African National Congress over unmet expectations of ordinary South Africans could be contributing to the problem.
Obasanjo said the failure to meet citizens’ expectations was not peculiar to South Africa, noting that similar challenges existed in Nigeria, Kenya and other African countries.
He maintained that using illegality to respond to illegality was not the solution, particularly if African countries were genuinely committed to regional integration and unity.
