Aggrieved Nigerians Threatened to Attack South African Business Outfits and other Interests in Nigeria

Angry Nigerians across the country have continued to protest and express their displeasure of the inhuman and dastardly acts meted to their fellow Nigerians in South Africa and had threaten to target South African business outfits and interests in Nigeria.

In a massive show of solidarity and concern for the welfare of Nigerians resident in the Southern African state, hundreds of youth trooped out in their thousands, marched and protested  in Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Benin and other major cities in Nigeria on Monday, April 20^th, 2015 demanding a stop to the wave of violence and unwarranted killing of foreign nationals residing in South Africa.

Protesters in Abuja stormed South African High Commission to register and voice-out their irritation of the irresponsible and unAfrican behaviors of South African misguided youth.  

 The leaders of the group who spoke at the High Commission gate hammered home the need for South African Government to rein on the raging crowd and speedily brought to a halt the orgy of violence attacks on black immigrants in that country. Failure to do this, the protesters warned carries dire consequences for South Africans and may lead to the shutting down of South African business outfits in Nigeria.

The youth accompanied by security operatives equally showed their discontentment at the slow response of the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and MTN office at Maitama District, demanding justice for all the victims of the xenophobic violence.

 

Also, a highly respected and vociferous non-organisation in the country, Socio-economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the Federal Government of Nigeria to drag the South African Government to the African Commission over the xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals and their business interests in South Africa.

According to the Executive Director of SERAP, Tokunbo Mumini in a statement on Monday , April 20, 2015 asked President Goodluck Jonathan to press legal charges against the  South African Government over human and people’s rights abuse as well as comprehensive compensation for Nigerian victims of the xenophobic attacks in South African.

“This wave of violence is unacceptable as it clearly violates the obligations of South Africa under the Charter on Human and People’s Rights. These serious human rights abuses call for strong and decisive action from our government” Mumini said.

Meanwhile, MTN-Nigeria, the telecom giant in Nigeria lent its voice to the growing thick dust of criticisms that trails the xenophobic attacks in its home country and called on South African Government to institute strong measures towards curtailing the attacks on foreign nationals fueled by xenophobia.

The company at a press conference on Monday 20^th, 3015 charged the South African Government of Jacob Zuma to provide adequate security coverage for safety of foreigners in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province and other parts of the country. MTN voiced it is concerns on what is happening in South Africa at the moment and in strongly worded terms condemned the unprovoked attacks on yulnerable foreigners.

 

While responding to calls by some Nigerians for reprisal attacks and boycott of South African interests, MTN Corporate Service Executive, Akinwale Goodluck described the calls and suggestions on social media for boycott and attack of South African linked business interests in Nigeria saying such action is not the best alternative as the attacks were not state sponsored but action of a small group of South Africans that are aggrieved about certain issues in that country.

Akinwale argued that only nine South Africans expatriates worked with MTN-Nigeria as against six thousand Nigerians in the company.