FG seeks compensation for Nigerians' SA businesses as evacuations continue
The Nigerian government is documenting businesses and properties left behind by nationals evacuating South Africa ahead of anti-immigrant protests, to seek compensation from Pretoria. Acting High Commissioner Alexander Ajayi announced this on Channels Television's The Morning Brief, stating returnees are being asked to accurately document their abandoned assets—including shops, cars and immovable properties—for presentation to the South African government. Ajayi emphasized the evacuation won't end with repatriation but will follow up systematically to prevent Nigerians' years of labor from being 'taken over by others.'
This comes as another batch of Nigerians evacuated voluntarily from South Africa is expected to arrive in Lagos Tuesday morning via an Air Peace aircraft, part of the Federal Government's ongoing voluntary evacuation programme. Ajayi rejected claims that most affected Nigerians are undocumented, attributing documentation delays to systemic issues at South Africa's Home Office where visa renewal applications have faced backlogs for years, affecting many foreign nationals beyond Nigerians. He clarified these individuals initially migrated legally but were caught in processing delays when renewing permits.
Anti-immigrant groups in South Africa are preparing demonstrations starting today (June 30, 2026), prompting the continued evacuation efforts. The government's documentation effort aims to ensure affected citizens can recover losses from businesses and properties they were forced to abandon amid rising tensions.
If you are a Nigerian returnee from South Africa, have you documented your abandoned businesses, properties or assets as requested by the evacuation programme to support potential compensation claims?