The Nigerian Union South Africa has called on the country's newly appointed High Commissioner to Pretoria, Ambassador Femi Fani-Kayode, to act on three fronts: slow passport services, xenophobic attacks, and the harassment of Nigerian-owned businesses. The demands were made at a community gathering in Johannesburg on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, according to Punch Newspapers.
The organisation also asked the envoy, whose accreditation covers Lesotho and Eswatini, to press the South African authorities on the safety of Nigerian lives and property and to improve welfare support for citizens in distress. For the Kingdom, the significance is direct: the new High Commissioner is Eswatini's diplomatic counterpart in Abuja's regional representation, and what he does in Pretoria will be felt across the neighbouring territories.
What the Nigerian Union South Africa is asking for
The President-General of NUSA, Attorney Smart Nwobi, presented the demands while formally welcoming Fani-Kayode to his new post. He pledged the union's cooperation in addressing the difficulties facing Nigerians in South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini, the association said in its statement.
Passport and documentation services rank among the union's chief complaints. Nigerians describe the process of obtaining or renewing a passport at the High Commission and Consulate as slow, costly, and difficult. NUSA wants that corrected as a first order of business.
The union further urged stronger diplomatic engagement with the South African government to address xenophobic attacks and to safeguard Nigerian citizens, a call echoed in Metro Daily's report on the Johannesburg engagement.
A warm welcome for a seasoned envoy
Nwobi was generous in his assessment of the new High Commissioner, whom he described as a distinguished lawyer, a gifted orator and writer, a former Minister of Aviation, and a seasoned public servant.
Over the years you have shown courage in speaking your convictions and skill in the arena of diplomacy and public life.
Over the years you have shown courage in speaking your convictions and skill in the arena of diplomacy and public life. That sagacity and experience are exactly what this post demands.
The union framed the appointment in frankly religious terms, saying the envoy's arrival came in answer to the community's prayers.
Your coming to South Africa at this time is divine orchestration. Our community has had its trials, and we have prayed for a listening ear and a steady hand. We believe God has answered those prayers by sending you.
Nwobi also reaffirmed the union's commitment to Nigerians wherever they live, including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria, Lesotho, and Eswatini.
A father does not choose among his children.
Partnership, not protest
The organisation was careful to present itself as a partner rather than a pressure group. NUSA pledged to work with the Nigerian Mission by supplying information, mobilising community members, and coordinating engagement across the region.
We do not come only to present problems. We come as partners. NUSA pledges to stand with you at every level, with information, mobilization, and community-level coordination.
Beyond immediate welfare concerns, the union called for formal frameworks to draw on the expertise of Nigerian doctors, engineers, academics, and entrepreneurs living abroad, arguing that their skills could serve Nigeria's own development. It also pressed for fair treatment of Nigerian entrepreneurs in South Africa and for support mechanisms to protect vulnerable Nigerians across Southern Africa.
Why this matters to Eswatini
Fani-Kayode's posting carries concurrent accreditation to Lesotho and Eswatini, which places him at the centre of Abuja's diplomatic presence in our region. His mission, as Galaxy Television reported when he took up the assignment, will focus on restoring friendship between the countries while safeguarding the welfare of Nigerians residing in South Africa.
For a kingdom that values orderly relations between states and the proper conduct of diplomacy through established channels, the Nigerian Union's approach deserves note. NUSA has taken its grievances not to the streets but to the envoy himself, through a statement, a formal welcome, and an offer of cooperation. That is how communities ought to engage with power: respectfully, directly, and through institutions.
The same cannot always be said of the environment in which Nigerians live in South Africa. Xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals, including Nigerians, have long strained relations between the two countries. QNC News reported that the union specifically wants Fani-Kayode to push back against this hostility while fixing the passport backlog.
Whether the former Aviation Minister can deliver on these expectations remains to be seen. What is settled is the union's position, captured in its slogan: One Nigeria, Global Impact.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Femi Fani-Kayode?
He is Nigeria's newly appointed High Commissioner to South Africa, with concurrent accreditation to Lesotho and Eswatini. He previously served as Nigeria's Minister of Aviation and is known as a lawyer, writer, and longtime figure in Nigerian public life.
What did the Nigerian Union South Africa ask him to do?
The union asked him to fix slow and costly passport processing at the Nigerian High Commission and Consulate, address xenophobic attacks and harassment of Nigerian businesses, improve welfare support for Nigerians in distress, and engage the South African government to protect Nigerian citizens.
Does his appointment affect Eswatini?
Yes. Fani-Kayode is concurrently accredited to Eswatini and Lesotho, so he represents Nigeria's diplomatic interests across the region, including in the Kingdom.