By TOCHU OKORIE

The strength of a nation is ultimately measured not only by its economic indices or diplomatic engagements, but by how faithfully it stands by its citizens in moments of vulnerability.

More than 3,000 Nigerian citizens currently languish on the streets of South Africa—stranded, vulnerable, and abandoned to a gnawing uncertainty that grows heavier by the day. These are not mere statistics. They are men and women with names, families, histories, and hopes; Nigerians whose dared to dive in search of life and destiny for whom circumstance has turned cruel and distance has rendered them voiceless. Their plight is not just a humanitarian concern—it is a defining test of the Federal Government’s moral authority, diplomatic seriousness, and commitment to one of the cardinal pillars of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s foreign policy: citizen diplomacy.

Citizen diplomacy, as repeatedly articulated by this administration, is premised on a simple but profound idea—that the Nigerian state must place the welfare, dignity, and protection of its citizens at the very heart of its engagement with the world. It is a doctrine that insists that no Nigerian, wherever he or she may be, should feel stateless, disposable, or forsaken. Yet, for thousands stranded in South Africa today, that promise rings hollow as they get more despondent by the day.

Interacting with the Nigeria community in South Africa under the aegis of Nigerian Citizens Association South Africa (NICASA) left a distressing picture in my consciousness. Nigerians trapped by expired visas, xenophobic hostilities, job losses, legal bottlenecks, and an unforgiving cost of living. Many sleep in overcrowded shelters or depend on the precarious charity of compatriots who themselves are barely surviving. Some are sick, others undocumented, many traumatized. All are desperate to return home. And all are waiting—waiting for a country they still believe in to remember them.

The silence, or worse, the lethargy of official response, is deeply troubling.

Nigeria cannot credibly preach citizen diplomacy abroad while practicing bureaucratic indifference in reality. A state that fails to act decisively when its citizens are in distress forfeits not only moral legitimacy but diplomatic respect. Other nations evacuate their citizens at the faintest hint of danger—whether from war, economic collapse, or social hostility—because they understand that citizenship must mean something tangible. It must confer protection, not platitudes.

This is not an insurmountable challenge. Nigeria has the institutional capacity to act. Through coordinated efforts between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, and relevant aviation and security agencies, a structured evacuation and reintegration programme can be swiftly executed. What is lacking is not capacity—but urgency, the will.

The cost of inaction is grave. Beyond the human suffering involved, continued abandonment feeds a corrosive narrative: that Nigerian citizenship is a burden abroad and a liability at home. It emboldens hostile actors in foreign countries, weakens Nigeria’s negotiating leverage, and erodes the confidence of millions in the diaspora who remit billions of dollars annually to sustain the national economy. You cannot reap the economic benefits of a diaspora you are unwilling to protect.

President Tinubu’s administration has repeatedly spoken of restoring Nigeria’s prestige and authority on the global stage. This is the moment to demonstrate that such ambition is anchored in empathy, responsibility, and action. Leadership is not proven in summit speeches or communiqués; it is proven when the state shows up for its people in their darkest hour.

Thankfully, the Federal Government of Nigeria, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has commendably elevated citizen diplomacy as a central pillar of its foreign policy. This doctrine rightly affirms that the Nigerian state must actively protect the welfare, dignity, and rights of its citizens wherever they reside. It is a vision that has resonated strongly with Nigerians at home and abroad. What is now required is its practical, visible expression.

The stranded Nigerians in South Africa are not asking for charity. They are demanding their right to protection, dignity, and safe passage home. Their cry is simple, urgent, and justified: do not leave us here.

History will not be kind to a government that heard this cry and chose delay over duty. The Federal Government must act—swiftly, decisively, and humanely—to bring these Nigerians home. Anything less would be a betrayal not only of citizen diplomacy, but of the very essence of the Nigerian state. After all, security and welfare of the citizens must remain the primary and most fundamental purpose of government. Statecraft anywhere in the world begins and ends with the prioritisation of citizenship. Nigerian must live up to give responsibility, if for nothing, as a veritable pathway towards redemption of its national pride globally.

•Tochu Okorie can be reached via toksokorie@gmail.com