Following the advisory issued by Nigeria’s High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa which was sent out to warn Nigerians of loud celebrations before, during and after the AFCON semi-final match, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) issued a counter statement calling Nigerian’s ‘friends’.
The statement reads, “DIRCO has learned about an unfortunate advisory issued by the High Commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Pretoria. The advisory is regrettable as it seems to create alarm and unnecessary tension between South African citizens and Nigerians living in or visiting SA.
“The South African national football team, Bafana Bafana, has played against their Nigerian counterparts, the Super Eagles, on many occasions, and there has been no history of soccer hooliganism among South Africans associated with the outcome of such encounters.
“We are confident that the sports-loving nation of South Africa poses no threat to Nigerian citizens, and we do not agree with the apprehension expressed by the High Commission.
“As we have done in the past with similar alarming advisories, we call on the diplomatic representatives to approach DIRCO to address any concerns about diplomatic matters.”
This statement as it was posted officially on DIRCO’s X(twitter) page was said to be issued by the Spokesperson of DIRCO, Clayson Monyela.
Clayson Monyela’s original tweets and page however suggests diplomacy can not to be used to deface the Xenophobic guilty country of his. This was by him replying to an X user who is also a South African that ‘Everyone is a friend in diplomacy’. This is after he tagged the advisory as “regrettable” and “totally unnecessary”.
The whole tension is brewed from an X user who wasn’t in the mode for the bants dished by Nigerians towards Ghanaians. He @SeSto.EleMento tweeted “Amapiano aside, I hate Nigerians.”
Such statement obviously would spark fear in the minds of Nigerians who have constantly been a victim of xenophobic attacks and also has a research dug into by BBC.