Xenophobic attack on Nigerians in South Africa: Time for Buhari to wake up from slumber

• Nigeria sacrificed USD 5 million annually to SA during aparthied
• Donated 2 % monthly salary as Mandela tax to SAFR
• South Africans studied for free in Nigerian Universities
• Funded Southern Africa Relief Fund
• Nigeria boycotted Olympic games 1976 and Commonwealth games in 1979

Emmanuel Ukudolo l Tuesday, September 03, 2019

LAGOS, Nigeria – A mother hen is ferocious not just for fun. The hen must remain ferocious otherwise, one day the hawks and all other predators will make a feast of her lovely chicks and all she had laboured for will be in vain. The mere fact that a mother hen can be this ferocious to protect her own remains the major reason an intruder without arm will succeed in taking away a man’s wife and children only because he is tired and far gone in a deep sleep.

There are services South Africans do in Nigerian, which they should not have been allowed to do in the first place”. He added that what is happening should have given greater impetus to government to have the meeting between the Nigerian and South African President earlier than October

Over the years, Nigeria has played the ‘big brother’ figure as a result of the afrocentric nature of Nigeria’s foreign policy. In playing this role, Nigeria has accomodated all Africans and also offered cash in aid in addition to human and material resources to African nations who are in dire need.

Topping the list of recipients among African states is South Africa. Writing on recent Xenophobic attacks on Nigerians, Francis Konde catalogued how good Nigeria has been and why Nigerians should be treated with respect based on the role Nigeria played in the period leading to the defeat of apatheid in South Africa.

“In 1960 the Nigerian government set up the National Committee Against Apartheid (NACAP). The government also managed to provide about $5 million to the ANC and the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) annually and later on founded the Southern Africa Relief Fund (SAFR) in 1976 for the purpose of bringing relief materials to the victims of the apartheid”, he said.

Besides, all Nigeria’s civil servants and public officers, he noted made “a 2% donation from their monthly salary to the SAFR.The donations to the SAFR were widely known in Nigeria as the “Mandela tax.” It is also important to note that the Nigerian government, and many other African countries, issued more than 300 passports to South Africans seeking to travel abroad and boycotted the 1976 Olympics and Commonwealth games in 1979 as part of the protest against apartheid in South Africa. In addition, South Africans received free scholarships from Nigerian government to study in Nigerian universities.

But how fast time flies. Is it not ironic that Nigerians who ought to be treated as big brothers are now at the receiving end of mob attacks. In August 2019, at least 20 Nigerians were killed, all attributed to Xenophobic attacks. The last to be killed in South Africa being Elizabeth Ndubuisi-Chukwu. She died in violent circumstances with autopsy confirming the cause of death to be strangulation.

Reporting on the incident in South Africa, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) noted that over 120 Nigerians have been killed and their businesses destroyed.

Three people were also reported to have been killed in the incident that happened between Sunday night and Monday, when shops belonging to Nigerians were torched and their businesses looted, although it is not clear if Nigerians were among the three people killed. The incident has been attributed to alleged killing of a taxi driver by an unknown foreigner in Johannesburg. Speaking on the incident, Adetola Olubanji, President of Nigerians in South Africa said the recent incident may have been connected to the killing in Johannesburg.

In his reaction to the attacks, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama said, “enough is enough”, adding that Nigeria will this time take definitive measures.

“Received sickening and depressing news of continued burning and looting of Nigerian shops and premises in #SouthAfrica by mindless criminals with ineffective police protection. Enough is enough. We will take definitive measures”, he said. It is not clear, what that definitive step will be. But what has President Muhammadu Buhari done?

The President has instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, to summon the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria and get a brief on the situation; express Nigeria’s displeasure over the treatment of her citizens; and assurance of the safety of their lives and property.

“President Buhari has also despatched a Special Envoy to convey to President Cyril Ramaphosa his concerns and also interact with his South African counterpart on the situation”, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina has said. This is taking place ahead of the October meeting by Buhari with President of South Africa, Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa.

So far the motive for this Xenophobic attacks targetted on Nigerians and other Africans have been laid on the doorsteps of unemployment, women and the enviable success stories recorded by Nigerians living in South Africa, while Ejimofor Iyke, Executive Secretary Nigeria, South Africa chamber of Commerce attributes it to entitlement mentality.

President Centre for Protection of Nigerians in the Diaspora (CPND), Alex Orji said Nigerians are doing well in South Africa and that their presence is felt in every areas of specialisation, including the health sector, though there are some who have become destitute, having become victims of human trafficking and consequently take to drugs and other social vices.

For Adetola Olubanji, the South Africans feel threatened by the industrious and hardworking Nigerians. He believes there is poverty in South Africa.

“The people are managing to survive”, he said, adding that what is left is for the Government of South Africa is to step up training of their subjects, and that those fueling the attacks are jobless South Africans. Besides, he is of the view that the attacks have continued because of the lackadaisical attitude of the Nigerian government to the killings.

“Our government is always paying lip service to Xenophobic attacks over the years“. Besides, he is of the view that the image of Nigeria has been battered, and that what needed to be done urgently is to build the image of Nigeria. “If you want to hang a dog, you call it a bad name. So everywhere we go, they call Nigerians criminals”, whereas Nigerians are doing great in South Africa.

Besides, he argued that South Africa has more stakes when it comes to businesses both country share. Ejimofor Iyke placed the trade volume between both countries as over N1.3 trillion. Olubanjo said the Nigerian government has given South African businessmen toomuch business freedom. According to him, South Africans engage in strategic business which ought to be the exclusive preserve of Nigerians.

“There are services South Africans do in Nigerian, which they should not have been allowed to do in the first place”. He added that what is happening should have given greater impetus to government to have the meeting between the Nigerian and South African President earlier than October.

“There is a need to build Nigeria, if you are not stronger at home, you cannot be stronger abroad”, he said, stressing that moving against South African businesses will force the South African president to act, knowing that South African businesss are at risk.

“If we move against their businesses, it is a consequence to them, so it is possible to do that to send strong signals to them and that will make them to put preasure on their government to protect Nigerians in South Africa”, he said.

However there has been a chain reaction in Nigeria with reports that Shoprite in Jakande and Sangotedo, all in Lekki have been invaded by aggrieved Nigerians protesting Xenophobia in South Africa. One Nigerian has been killed by policemen in the process, while a police van has been torched.

This chain reaction has been exercabated by the viral video of Deputy Commissioner of Police in South Africa, Mr. Bongani Mkongi, who said at a press conference that South Africa is now 80 percent populated by foreigners, whom he said will takeover their country. He described the foreigners as criminals and queried the rationale for defending criminals whom he said are armed and killing South African police. Unconfirmed report however say he has been relieved from duty.

How far this chain reaction will go nobody can tell. But the fact remains that Nigerians are losing their lives and means of livelihood and they are calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to wake up from slumber and act in such a way that the business community in South Africa who have interest in Nigeria will put pressure on President Cyril Ramaphosa to do the needful. Nigerians in South Africa must take stock of what is lost to Xenophobia and pass the cost to the South African government.