Xenophobia negates pan-Africanism — Tuggar

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, yesterday, called for a renewed commitment to African unity, warning that hostility against fellow Africans contradicts the principles of Pan-Africanism. Read Also: Lingering Scars of Xenophobia: Nigerian entrepreneur’s dream lost in South Africa amid hostility He said the growing incidents of discrimination and anti-migrant sentiments in parts of the continent, particularly South Africa, raised serious questions about Africa’s commitment to solidarity, integration and a shared destiny.

Tuggar spoke at the 2026 end-of-year event of The Bridge Club, which featured renowned African scholar and public intellectual, Professor P. L.O. Lumumba, as keynote speaker. Tuggar, who chaired the occasion, said it was particularly disappointing that Nigerians and other black Africans were being targeted in a country whose liberation from apartheid had attracted enormous sacrifices from Nigeria and other African nations.

According to him, Nigerians of his generation grew up with a strong commitment to the liberation of Africa from racist regimes. He recalled how survivors of the June 1976 Soweto massacre were accommodated in Nigerian boarding schools and supported through scholarships after Nigeria adopted them as its own. He also cited the establishment of the South African Relief Fund following the intervention of Mrs.

Maude Obanye, wife of a Nigerian diplomat, as an example of the country’s historic commitment to African solidarity. Tuggar said Nigeria’s opposition to apartheid went beyond rhetoric, recalling that the country took difficult economic and diplomatic decisions, including the nationalisation of Barclays Bank and British Petroleum, in support of the liberation struggle.

“These are but a very few of the reasons why Nigerians cannot fathom why they and other black Africans are being targeted in South Africa,” he said. Describing the situation as Afrophobia rather than merely xenophobia, Tuggar argued that the distinction was important because non-black foreigners appeared to be treated differently. He, however, cautioned against treating historical explanations as justification for discrimination, adding that “context is not justification.” The former minister traced the roots of segregation in Africa to colonial administrative policies, arguing that systems introduced during colonial rule created divisions along ethnic, cultural and economic lines.

He said such structures left lasting psychological scars that continued to affect relationships among Africans. Tuggar also warned that Africa’s inability to translate the ideals of political liberation into economic cooperation had weakened the continent’s development prospects. He argued that African countries needed to prioritise manufacturing, industrialisation and regional trade rather than continue exporting raw materials and importing finished products.

According to him, the African Continental Free Trade Area provides an opportunity to correct the imbalance and build a more integrated continental economy.