Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, Alexander Ajayi, disclosed this during a television interview as another batch of Nigerians prepared to return home under the Federal Government's voluntary evacuation programme.
Ajayi explained that those currently being repatriated are Nigerians who voluntarily chose to return ahead of the latest planned anti-immigrant protests in South Africa.
According to him, the Federal Government has commenced the documentation of businesses, vehicles and other properties abandoned by returnees to support future compensation claims.
"In terms of the businesses, just three days ago, myself and the South African Deputy Minister of Finance were together and we discussed this issue," Ajayi said.
"We agreed that our people who are returning should begin to document everything they are leaving behind. I have asked them to accurately record the businesses, cars, and both movable and immovable properties they are abandoning so that we can take up the matter with the South African government. That is the next step we are going to take."
The acting high commissioner stressed that the government's intervention would go beyond simply evacuating affected citizens.
"This repatriation will not end with just taking people back to Nigeria," he said.
"We are going to systematically follow up on the information provided by the returnees. I have advised them to be as accurate as possible because we intend to work with the South African government to identify the exact locations of these businesses, shops and other properties and formally present them for possible compensation."
Ajayi said the Nigerian government is determined to ensure that citizens who spent years building businesses and acquiring assets in South Africa do not lose everything without efforts to secure compensation.
"We will not allow the labour people have invested over the years to simply go to waste," he added.
The Federal Government has continued its voluntary evacuation programme for Nigerians who wish to leave South Africa amid renewed concerns over anti-immigrant demonstrations and the safety of foreign nationals in parts of the country.
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