By Nkiruka Nnorom and Dennis Agbo
The Federal Government has denied receiving any request from South Africa for reimbursement of costs incurred in repatriating Nigerians and other migrants from the country.
The clarification comes after South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs told Parliament on Tuesday, that it had written to Nigeria, Malawi and Ethiopia to seek refund for part of the R292.77 million, (approximately $18 million) spent on accommodating and transporting deportees and voluntary returnees.
This came as former South-East spokesman for President Bola Tinubu, Denge Josef Onoh, also rejected the demand.
Speaking to Vanguard, yesterday, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said: “It is not true, we have not received any document to that effect.”
Asked if the South African government has reacted to Nigeria’s request for compensation to Nigerians forced to leave the country, he said no response has been received yet.
Corraborating him, Nigeria’s Consul General in South Africa, Mrs. Ninikanwa Okey-Uche, said no such demand for reimbursement had been communicated to the Nigerian mission in Pretoria.
Home Affairs Director-General, Tommy Makhode, had told the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs that the department spent R292 million on the operation, far above its R60 million budgetary allocation for deportations this year.
He described the expenditure as unforeseen and unavoidable and an unfunded mandate, stressing that repatriations were not provided for in the existing legislative framework.
“We have also written to the governments of Malawi, and of course the embassies of Nigeria and Ethiopia to request for reimbursements of these costs through the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, DIRCO.
“We are expecting responses from those governments,” Makhode said.
According to him, the bulk of the spending went to hiring buses to transport migrants, running temporary repatriation centres, and paying staff overtime. Some municipalities and government departments that assisted with the operation are also seeking reimbursement from Home Affairs.
Onoh rejects S’Africa’s $18.5m repatriation bill
Onoh in a statement in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, described the demand as a matter that should be subjected to diplomatic and legal review, arguing that costs incurred by South African authorities in managing immigration-related operations should not automatically be transferred to other sovereign governments.
His reaction followed reports that South Africa had approached Nigeria, Malawi and Ethiopia over expenses associated with the accommodation, transportation and repatriation of foreign nationals during recent immigration enforcement operations.
Onoh said Nigeria should formally seek clarification from the South African government on the legal and diplomatic basis for the reimbursement request.
He argued that the responsibilities of a host country towards migrants and foreign nationals should be considered within the framework of applicable international and regional agreements.
Onoh also called for discussions on the treatment of African migrants and businesses in South Africa, particularly where individuals or companies have suffered losses during incidents of unrest.
He said Nigeria should work with other affected countries and relevant stakeholders to establish the scale of any verifiable economic losses suffered by their nationals.
Onoh said Nigeria could engage South African authorities through diplomatic channels to address concerns relating to the welfare, property and business interests of Nigerian nationals in the country.
He further called for consultations among Nigeria, Malawi, Ethiopia and other affected countries to develop a coordinated position on the reported repatriation expenses.
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