Winifred Bosa.

Nigeria and South Africa are to establish an Early Warning Unit aimed at providing information that would help governments of both countries nip all forms of violence before they escalate.

The announcement was made at a joint press briefing by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama, and his South African counterpart, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, at a bilateral meeting of the two countries in Pretoria, South Africa.
The Early Warning Unit which would be replicated in both countries is the fall out of a decision reached by the two governments to tackle the rising wave of xenophobia threatening relations between the two countries.

The Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Onyeama while noting that communication is key to violence and conflict prevention, disclosed that the unit would have its first meeting within a month and then, meet quarterly. Mr. Onyeama, who gave the assurance of Nigeria’s readiness to partner with South Africa on the advancement of the two countries, added that the early warning mechanism would always form part of the agenda at the Bi-National Commission’s meeting which has now been elevated to the level of Heads of States of the two countries.

The minister, however, stressed that Nigerians living in South Africa were contributing immensely to the growth and development of that country.

“Unfortunately for some time now there has been this incidence of attacks and Nigerians have been victims and we as a government have known that this was not state sponsored and that the South African governments always condemned this and that the South African people always condemned this and it was very often the action of a small minority, a small criminal minority,” according to Mr. Onyeama.

“The vast majority feel very much at home in South Africa and this is the narrative we also want to pursue,” he added.