Following the seizure of fund’s from Nigeria by the South African authorities,  the High Commissioner  that country to Nigeria, Ambassador Lulu Mgnuni, has said there is no impending diplomatic standoff between both countries.
The envoy who spoke exclusively with Daily Sun in Abuja, said Nigeria and South Africa have come a long way to allow anything to come between them.
South Africa, he noted, has long fundamental contradictions with Nigeria, saying the current differences were non basic.
According to Mgnuni:  “I don’t think there is going to be any diplomatic standoff between South Africa and Nigeria. We have come a long way that we can have anything that can come between us.
“South Africa has long fundamental contradictions with Nigeria. All these differences are not basic. So, I think anything can be solved amicably by our two countries. We are friends, we are time-tested friends.”
Asked what steps Nigeria and South Africa were taking to resolve the issue, he said some discussions had already started between the two countries.
Mgnuni added that the matter would be finalised through legitimate ways, saying that both countries will continue to play a constructive role, in partnerships, and leadership role on the African continent.
Further questioned on why South Africa was taking an extreme position on the matter, the envoy said there was no extreme position on the matter, adding that South African agents only discovered that certain laws had been broken and the government had to intervene.
Mgnuni said: “I don’t think there is any extreme position that has been taken. When our agents on the ground found it that certain laws had been broken, of course, we had to intervene. When Nigeria approached us and said look, this happened in line with our interest, we have to understand and see how we can resolve the matter together amicably.”

No diplomatic standoff between Nigeria and South Africa – Envoy