From all indications and recent attempts by the federal government to clear the air surrounding the seized millions of dollars purportedly meant for the purchase of military hardware, the South African Ambassador may be invited by the federal government.
After so much deliberations by top security officials in Abuja, it was gathered that it was now necessary to address the issue of the money seizure which to them is embarrassing.
The South African authorities had on two separate occasions confiscated $9.3m and $7.5m meant for purchase of arms by Nigeria under the guise that the deals violated its laws.
It was learnt that the Ambassador should be summoned to explain Pretoria’s rationale for its action against Nigeria, in view of the various political and economic benefits South Africa had enjoyed from her relationship with the Federal Government in years.
A source said the decision to summon Mnguni had been taken by senior government officials and he was to have been invited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.
“The FG is really angry with South Africa over its handling of a legal transaction, especially its continued antagonism to Nigeria and embarrassing leakage of the arms deal to the public in a bid to humiliate Nigeria.
“A decision to summon the South African ambassador had been taken and he would have to explain why his country has been embarrassing Nigeria before the comity of nations,” the source stated.
But when contacted, Mnguni, said he had not received any summons from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the arms deal.
Asked if the Federal Government had formally approached his country over the botched deal, the ambassador explained that he had not received any formal communication to that effect.
He said, “I have not received any formal communication from the (Nigerian) government, but they may have asked the (Nigerian) ambassador in South Africa to reach out to the authorities because he would have direct access to the government there.”
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