The Generosity of Nigeria – A history lesson for South Africa
The 1970's
Contents
General Murtala Muhammed
Immediately General Murtala Muhammed came to power in 1975, liberation movements were allowed to open offices in Lagos.
General Olusegun Obasanjo
General Olusegun Obasanjo sustained General Muhammed’s policy. He introduced various manpower training programs in Nigeria. For instance, he granted hundreds of scholarships to South African students in Nigerian tertiary institutions. Some of the beneficiaries of this program include Thabo Mbeki (1977-1984).
The Obasanjo Administration launched the Southern African Relief Fund (SARF), distinct from the OAU Liberation Fund, in December 1976. The Fund was for the provision of medical and other supplies to the liberation movements. A contribution of $3.7 million was made to this fund by the Government. Additionally, General Obasanjo personally donated $3,000, while each member of his cabinet also made personal contributions of $1,500 each. All Nigeria’s civil servants and public officers made a 2% donation from their monthly salary. Students skipped their lunch to make donations and within 6 months the total popular contribution to the fund reached $10.5 million. The donations to the SAFR were widely known in Nigeria as the “Mandela tax“.
Bear in mind that the Fund did not replace the OAU Liberation Fund to which Nigeria continued to make contributions. In fact, its contributions were increased in 1975. At the height of South Africa’s liberation struggle in the 1970s, Nigeria alone provided $5,000,000 annually to the ANC and PAC. That amount would be in the billions in today’s terms.
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References: https://katakata.org/nigerias-role-in-ending-apartheid-in-south-africa-and-the-issue-of-appreciation/
