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Irked by the recent xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and Africans in South Africa, Nigeria government is leaving no stone unturned to prevent a future recurrence

|  By Olu Ojewale  |  Mar 13, 2017 @ 01:00 GMT  |

AGITATIONS by some South Africans, which led to about two weeks of xenophobic attacks in February appears to have petered out. But no one is about to hazard a guess that it would never happen again. This, perhaps, has prompted the Nigerian federal government, National Assembly and South Africa itself to design ways of preventing a future recurrence.

The Nigerian federal government in a strongly worded message urged the South African government to take all necessary measures to protect the lives and foreigners living and working in South Africa, warning of diplomatic implications of its action.

The federal government said the South African government should bring perpetrators of the dastardly acts of violence to justice. “The federal government of Nigeria will strenuously work towards the protection of Nigerians everywhere, including in South Africa,” Khadija Abba-Ibrahim, minister of state Foreign Affairs, said on Monday, February 27.

Mercifully, unlike the 2016 attacks, when 20 Nigerians were killed in a similar xenophobic attacks, there was no report of any death of “Nigerian in the latest incidents of attacks against foreigners,” the minister said.

To school the South African on good neighbourliness, the Nigerian National Assembly has decided to send udelegations to the xenophobic African country.

On Wednesday, March 1, the Senate assigned a seven-member delegation to visit the country. Ike Ekweremadu, Senate vice president, is leader of the delegation of the Senate to South Africa following the return of xenophobic attacks in South Africa where Nigerians have been attacked, injured and property destroyed.

Other members of the Senate team to engage their fellow parliamentarians on the matter as announced by Bukola Saraki, Senate president, during plenary Wednesday, March 1, are Ahmad Lawan, Senate leader; Olusola Adeyeye, Senate chief whip; Shehu Sani; Magnus Abe and Stella Oduah.

The House of Representatives also named a six-man delegation to be led by Femi Gbajabiamila, House leader. Other members of the team are: Nnena Ukeje, chairman, House Committee on Foreign Relations; Sadiq Ibrahim; Henry Nwawuba; Nasiru Zango-Daura and Shehu Aliyu-Musa.

The mission of both delegations is to engage South African fellow parliamentarians on how to avert future occurrence such attacks. According to the National Assembly, South African government would be told in clear term that Nigeria would no longer tolerate such attacks on its citizens.

On its part, the South African government, which had earlier condemned the attacks, said it would introduce teaching of history in schools to help South Africans understand the roles Nigeria and other African countries played during the apartheid struggle.

Indeed, some education is needed along the line. For instance, Herman Mashaba, mayor of Johannesburg, was widely quoted as saying: “(Illegal immigrants) are holding our country to ransom and I am going to be the last South African to allow it.”

Speaking in December on inner-city rejuvenation,  clearing downtown of “drug dealers and slum lords” and taking back hijacked buildings, the mayor suggested undocumented migrants were responsible for rampant crime in Johannesburg. He said he had already engaged foreign embassies “for them to know their residents in our city are here criminally. ”

The African Diaspora Forum said the mayor’s comments were dangerous and xenophobic. Sicel’mpilo Shange-Buthane, executive director, Amnesty International South Africa, warned: “His reckless utterances are based on prejudice against migrants. Rather than making comments that risk fanning the flames of xenophobic attacks, the authorities must act to counter stereotypes, eradicate discrimination and foster greater equality in South Africa.”

That notwithstanding, 97 Nigerians were deported from South Africa on Monday, February 27. They were reportedly deported for civil and criminal offences barely four days after 43 Nigerians were repatriated from Italy, Belgium and Germany.

Nevertheless, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, on Friday, February 24, condemned acts of violence by his people against foreigners, saying it was unacceptable. While appealing for calm, Zuma said: “Many citizens of other countries living in South Africa are law abiding and contribute to the economy of the country positively. It is wrong to brandish all non-nationals as drug dealers or human traffickers. The threats and counter-threats on social media must stop.”

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, similarly condemned the recent xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa. A statement signed by Ayuba Wabba, president of the NLC, said the February attacks, like the attacks of 2008 and 2015, were unacceptable and avoidable.

In a statement on Thursday, March 2, Wabba urged the South African government to move without further delay and take actions to prevent another recurrence. “For Africa and South Africa, the pursuit of togetherness, care, warm reception towards and hospitality to others are some of the enduring attributes and essence of the Ubuntu spirit,” he said.

“It is unacceptable that foreigners, migrants, refugees and Asylum Seekers are labelled criminals as a justification to subject them to extra-judicial actions.”

The NLC leader said it considered the South Africa government’s condemnation of this recent xenophobic attack as a positive action, stressing that the government should go beyond condemnation to investigate, prosecute and sanction persons, groups or individuals that might have played any role in this mindless attack on foreigners.

Similarly, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, senior special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, described the attacks as an “unnecessary setback”.

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has sent an open letter to King Mswati III of Swaziland, and chairperson, Southern African Development Community, SADC, urging him to “convene an emergency summit of the SADC heads of state and government to discuss the persistent xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other foreign nationals living in South Africa.”

The organisation also urged SADC to “Use the Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation within SADC to immediately set up an independent and impartial body to investigate all acts of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other foreign nationals. The investigation’s findings and recommendations should be made public, suspected perpetrators brought to justice and victims must enjoy the right to an effective remedy and reparation.”

In the letter dated February 24, 2017, and signed by Adetokunbo Mumuni, the SERAP executive director, the organisation said that, “persistent and longstanding xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other foreign nationals, the complete impunity of perpetrators and the failure of the authorities to provide an effective remedy and reparation to victims directly undermine the SADC mandates on regional integration and human rights.”

While Nigerians from different walks of life were quick to blame the South African government for the xenophobic attacks on its citizens, some Nigerians would also want the Nigerian government to live up to expectations by stopping Fulani herdsmen attacks in various parts of the country.

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