Xenophobia: FG’s weak reactions fueling attacks on S/African business interests
Reacting officially after three days of killings and destruction of Nigerians and Nigerian interests in South Africa by the federal government and minister of Foreign Affairs in particular, have angered many Nigerians, investigations by Business Hilights can authoritatively report.
A clear example was the release of distress hot numbers by the Nigerian Ambassador just Saturday when over 20 Nigerians had been killed earlier in the week. The
Series of opinion pool weekend on the matter showed that many Nigerians who touched some business interests of South Africans did so to register their anger on the delays by the federal government in not coming to the rescue of Nigerians in South Africa right on time.
An aggrieved protester in Abuja told our correspondent that “Whereas our brothers and sisters plus their establishments are being killed, our ambassador was busy telling us ‘Forgive South Africans”.
“Again, I watched the Minister of Foreign Affairs where he was being economical with words in responding to questions on the matter in a TV and that is unfair to the collective intelligence of us Nigerians.
But the matter seemed to have taken another dimension as Nigerian students have asked South African companies, MTN, DSTV and others to leave Nigeria in 48 hours.
The students, under the umbrella of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), said this in protest of the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.
Speaking in an interview at the office of DSTV in Wuse 2, Abuja on February 23, NANS President, Kadiri Aruna said “enough is enough as South Africans have openly attacked and bullied Nigerians.”
The protesting students had also stormed the MTN office in Maitama area of Nigeria’s capital, attacking staff and valuables.
NANS made it very clear that if nothing is done after the 48-hour ultimatum which had already expired, students in all University campuses will be ordered to destroy MTN mast across the country.
He added that the violent action will also be carried out at DSTV and Shoprite branches in Nigeria.
He said: “All the South African business empires in Nigeria and their collaborators in Nigeria will be affected.
“I don’t want to say we will be barbaric but we will not be lawful in our actions, we will do it and face the consequences, enough of this rubbish.”
Aruna pointed that ill treatment of Nigerians in South Africa is insulting given the role Nigeria played in ending the apartheid regime in the country.
But quite unlike the Minister of Information who usually rush to react on issues of national importance, Business Hilights observed that Alhaji Lai Mohammed is yet to make any comment
