He made these comments during an interview on Arise TV, where he detailed his criticism of the South African government’s initial silence on the issue.
Oshiomhole explained that at the time of the attacks, he publicly accused the South African president of failing to act decisively to protect foreign nationals, particularly Nigerians who were being targeted.
He said he strongly warned that if Nigeria decided to respond in a similar manner diplomatically or otherwise, the South African leadership would be forced to reconsider its stance and possibly issue an apology or seek diplomatic calm.
He noted that following his public intervention and criticism, the South African president later made a nationwide broadcast in which he condemned the xenophobic violence.
According to Oshiomhole, this was a significant shift from the earlier perceived silence of the South African government, suggesting that his comments helped push the issue into urgent national attention.
He maintained that his remarks reflected the frustration of Nigerians who felt abandoned during the crisis. In his words: “After I spoke and accused the South African president of doing nothing and said he would go on his knees to beg if we responded, he later made a broadcast condemning the attacks, which he had not done before my statement.”
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