By Adewale Adeoye
President Buhari has arrived South Africa. I’m surprised he was met at the Jobourg Airport by the South African Foreign Affairs Minister, Lindwise Sisulu.
That shows the importance South Africa attaches to Nigeria. Would South African have sent a Minister to meet the UK Prime Minister or send a Minister To to meet the Chinese Prime Minister?
To me this is bad foreign relations and poor diplomacy for South Africa. That country just hates us.
This visit by the President of the most populous country in Africa was preplanned. The South African President knew President Buhari would visit.
There is no justification why he should not welcome the President personally at the airport. Even though the United Nations categorised every country as equal, we all know this is not so.
That is why powerful nations have the tradition of sending people other than the President to meet Heads of State or Presidents of countries that they consider to be a junior partners. In this case, South Africa thinks Nigeria is a junior partner. Too bad for a very arrogant country like S.A.
Countries who consider the visitor as equal partner usually ensure the President of the host country meets the visiting President RIGHT at the airport.
In this case, S.A. decided to send her Foreign Affairs Minister. Insult!!!
This is shameful for South Africa, I think a display of empty arrogance and a betrayal of African brotherhood.
In the first place I do not understand why President Buhari should be the one visiting S.A.
Rather, it is Ramaphosa that should come here to apologise for the irresponsible and illegal manner Nigerians were singled out for vicious attacks. I also saw President Buhari personally receiving some South African envoys who came calling recently. he received them in his office.
Nigerian President should not have met those SA envoys but the S.A. envoys should have been met only by the Minister of Interior, Comrade Aregbesola.
SA to me has continued to display some form of vain pride. Little wonder that at the Johannesburg Airport what meets you is “OUT OF AFRICA” huge signpost. My experience in South Africa shows the country has no respect for any black country. Too sad. Pride proceeds a great fall.
The current leaders in South Africa have indeed betrayed Africanism and the legacy of heroes like Madiba. SA appear to have a set of leaders that has failed to meet the aspirations of the real South African people now being led by people who do not see themselves as Africans and would have wished to bleach away their black colour. I can only wish promising leaders like Julius Malema success in his campaign against the backward surge of a country that should have been at the forefront of African renaissance.
Adeoye, Founder JODER lives in Lagos.
