Did Nigeria spend $61 billion supporting South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle?

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Mariam Ileyemi

Claim: An X user claims that Nigeria spent an estimated $61 billion supporting South Africa’s struggle against apartheid.

Verdict: Mostly True! Historical records and academic sources support the estimate that Nigeria contributed about $61 billion to South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle. 

Full Text

As renewed xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa prompted the repatriation of over 250 Nigerians, claims about Nigeria’s contribution to the country’s anti-apartheid struggle have gained traction on social media.

On June 23, 2026, an X user, @MrJamesKe, claimed that Nigeria spent an estimated $61 billion supporting South Africa’s struggle against apartheid.

He said this, noting that this is why “History matters.”

The post, as of June 26, had attracted 400,000 views, 150 likes and 200 reposts. 

The claim also generated mixed reactions, with some users questioning whether Nigeria had the financial capacity to support South Africa’s liberation struggle.

One user, @MaMhizzy, wrote, “The big liars of drug nation Nigeria need to be studied. So Nigeria borrowed Mandela $61 billion from Mandela in the 1960s when Nigeria’s GDP was about $4 billion?”

“Nigeria’s GDP was $56.7 billion in 1993. Where did they get $61 billion from?” @Tygerzs, another user questioned.

DUBAWA also found the claim shared in a Facebook video by The MERC Podcast. As of June 26, 2026, the video had attracted more than 850,000 views, 35,000 reactions and over 5,000 comments. 

DUBAWA observed that the claim often resurfaces during xenophobic tensions between Nigeria and South Africa. Given its renewed circulation, DUBAWA conducted this fact check to set the record straight.

Verification

DUBAWA traced the widely cited $61 billion estimate to a publication by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), titled Giants of Africa Limp Along – South Africa and Nigeria. 

The publication describes Nigeria as one of the leading African countries in the anti-apartheid struggle, noting its role in establishing the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid, the financial contributions of ordinary Nigerians, and support for the Frontline States. 

It estimates that by the end of apartheid in 1994, Nigeria had contributed about $61 billion to the anti-apartheid effort.

The estimate does not refer to a single cash payment. Rather, it represents Nigeria’s cumulative financial, economic and diplomatic support over several decades.

Former South African President Nelson Mandela also acknowledged Nigeria’s contributions. In a video of his 1990 visit to Nigeria published on the official YouTube channel of the Lagos State Government, Mandela thanked the Nigerian government and its people for their financial and material support to the liberation struggle. 

He said Nigeria “have been among the most generous donors” to the anti-apartheid movement and also acknowledged the country’s scholarships for South African students, as well as the deployment of teachers, doctors and architects.

Further details of these contributions are highlighted in a 2020 study published in the peer-reviewed journal Cogent Arts & Humanities on Taylor & Francis Online. 

The journal states that Nigeria began supporting the African National Congress (ANC) and the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) in 1961 and was providing an annual $5 million subvention to both organisations by 1970.

The journal also states that Nigeria established the Southern Africa Relief Fund (SARF) in 1976, popularly known as the “Mandela Tax.” 

Within six months, the fund had raised about US$10.5 million, with contributions from students, civil servants and public officials. It further notes that Nigeria’s oil embargo against apartheid South Africa was estimated to have cost the country about US$41 billion in lost oil revenue.

In 2012, Former President Olusegun Obasanjo confirmed that Nigerian civil servants contributed part of their salaries to the South Africa Relief Fund.

Conclusion

Historical records support the widely cited estimate that Nigeria contributed about $61 billion to South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle. However, it is worthy of note that the figure reflects Nigeria’s cumulative financial, economic and diplomatic support over several decades and not a one-time cash donation.

This report was produced under the 2026 Kwame Karikari Fact-checking and OSINT Fellowship, co-hosted by DUBAWA and the Digital Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Information Disorder Analysis Centre (DAIDAC), with support from the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID).