Page 63 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 20
P. 63
Leadership
to 2008). He had spent 7 years in
Nigeria, from 1977 to 1984, before
he left to the ANC headquarters in
Lusaka, Zambia.
For South Africans, who could not
travel abroad because the apart-
heid regime had withdrawn their
passports, Nigeria’s government
issued more than 300 passports.
Along with fellow African countries
Nigeria lobbied for the creation of
the United Nations Special Commit-
tee against Apartheid and chaired it
for 30 years, longer than any other
country. Between 1973 and 1978,
Nigeria contributed $39,040 to
the UN Educational and Training
Programme for Southern Africa, a
voluntary trust fund promoting ed-
ucation of the black South African
elite.
As for trade, Nigeria had refused to
sell oil to South Africa for decades
in protest against the white minority
rule. Nigeria had lost approximate-
ly $41 billion during that period.
Above all, Nigeria was the only
nation worldwide to set up the Na-
tional Committee Against Apartheid
(NACAP) as early as in 1960. The
committee’s mission was to dis-
seminate the evils of the apartheid
regime to all Nigerians from primary
schools to universities, in public
media and in markets, through
The letter Nigeria’s Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa sent to the posters and billboards messages.
African National Congress (ANC) militants on April 4, 1961. The NACAP was also responsible
for the coordination of Nigeria’s
government and civil society joint
contribution to the fund reached white police while the former were anti-apartheid actions and advising
$10.5 million. protesting against the decision by of policy makers on anti-apartheid
the apartheid regime to change their decisions.
The donations to the SAFR were education language to Afrikaans.
widely known in Nigeria as the Hundreds of South African stu- For over three decades the NACAP
“Mandela tax”. As a result of the dents have benefited from the fund’s had successfully built alliances with
fund’s work, a first group of 86 activity having come to study in labor movement, student groups,
South African students arrived Nigeria for free. Beyond welcoming progressive elements and other
in Nigeria in 1976, following the students and exiles, Nigeria had also international grassroots organiza-
disruption of the education system welcomed many renowned South tions within Nigeria for effective
in South Africa. It happened after Africans like Thabo Mbeki (former anti-apartheid activities. In fact, until
the massacre of 700 students by the South African president from 1999 1960s, the ANC fight against the
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