Ambassador Oladapo Fafowora has decried the frequent attack on Nigerians in South Africa, describing it as undesirable inspite of Nigeria’s huge contributions to the demise of apartheid regime in South Africa. Nigerians in South Africa have been treated badly in recent times.
Fafowora who spoke at the public presentation of The Rise and Fall of Apartheid- Nigeria as a factor by L.T Bade-Afuye last week Thursday in Lagos said the support Nigeria gave South Africa was consistent, political, financial and diplomatic.
“I don’t think we know exactly how much support Nigeria gave South Africa, it was consistent, it political, it was diplomatic and it was more financial. I remember in 60s I was serving in the high commission of London at the time, government made it compulsory for us to remove a percentage from our salaries to pay for fight against apartheid. Even the late Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa as conservative as he was, he fought apartheid. All Nigerian leaders have been consistent in the struggle against South Africa. Nigeria played a very significant financial and substantial contribution in the fight against apartheid”, he said.
The reviewer of the book, Prof Bola Akinterinwa who described the book as credible, urged Nigerians to read the book, examine the sources, verify the scientific arguments, inform the audience what you have read, evaluate the content of the book and give your recommendation. “After reading the book and examining the information, they are credible,” he said.
The book contains the author’s personal experiences and detailed accounts of the apartheid struggle, the rivalry between the Boers and the English speaking white settlers, the roots of apartheid, which dated beyond 1948 and the travails of the Black South African majority.
In the book’s foreword, Prof Osita Agbu said that it is necessary that the role that
Nigeria played at this period in the history of not only South Africa, but also other member countries of the South Africa region, be properly documented, understood and appreciated.
“While this appreciation may have a limit, the onus is on Nigeria to continue to maintain a robust and engaging relation with countries of the South Africa region in spite of the irritants in their relations”, he noted. According to Prof Agbu, the book is a great work of history, of inter-state relations in colonial and post-colonial periods and a documentation of factual events anchored with diplomatic finesse. He described the eight-chapter book as a significant addition to the bourgeoning literature on South Africa and self-determination. Present at the launch were Oba Samuel Adejimi Adu-Alagbado, Agirila-La 11, (Ogoga of Ikere-Ekiti), Prof Adebayo William among others.