In the wake of xenophobic attacks against nationals of other African countries living in South Africa which have led to multiple deaths and physical assaults, a lot of African countries whose citizens including those from Nigeria are victims of the mindless scourge have risen to protect their citizens and continued to condemn the act in strong terms. UGBOJA FELIX OJONUGWA writes
The South Africans who are championing the xenophobic attacks have claimed that African nationals in South Africa have taken over their jobs and constitute social nuisance. This kind of xenophobic attack is not the first of its kind in South Africa.
The latest outbreak of anti-immigrant violence has been widely blamed on a speech made last month by King Goodwill Zwelithini, traditional leader of the Zulu ethnic group, in which he linked foreigners to crime and said they must “take their bags and go”. The king has since claimed his words were misconstrued.
Most people who have taken a critical stand against the acts of xenophobia in South Africa have also mentioned that it is not just an act of brutality, but a sign of ungratefulness on the part of South Africans, who were able to conquer the apartheid regime through the overwhelming support of many African countries, with Nigeria very prominent on that list.
During the apartheid era in South Africa, Nigeria was one of the foremost supporters of black South African liberation movements especially the African National Congress (ANC).
Then the Nigerian government issued more than 300 passports to South Africans seeking to come to Nigeria or travel elsewhere.
Sonny Okosun, a Nigerian musician, wrote the hit song ‘Fire in Soweto’ in 1977 to commemorate the 1976 Soweto uprising against while rule in South Africa.
The Nigerian government under the administration of the late Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was the first to ever provide financial support to the ANC.
In addition, the defunct National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), first republic political party led by the founder of modern Nigeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, provided home for the late Nelson Mandela in Lagos till Mandela decided to go back to South Africa and begin the resistance against apartheid.
Nigeria led a vocal protest against the Sharpeville massacre of 1960 and in 1961 entered an alliance with Commonwealth ministers who wanted South Africa to leave the Commonwealth.
From then till 1995, Nigeria alone, according to the South African Institute of International Affairs, spent over $61 billion to support the end of apartheid. No other country in the world made such contribution.
Nigerian citizens were asked to make tax-deductible donations to support the ANC in the 1970s.
Students across Nigerian universities and schools would sometimes forfeit their lunch to donate the money to the ANC.
Education for black South Africans was the most pressing need of the ANC. They insisted that they wanted their kids, the future leaders, to be educated up to, at least, a bachelor degree level in Africa.
Nigeria opened its elite secondary schools, Federal Government Colleges and universities like the University of Lagos, University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello Zaria,
University of Nigeria Nsukka, University of Ife and Benin, to South Africans.
Many of the ANC combatants arrived in Nigeria with body scars and diverse emotional traumas. Psychological help in terms of counseling was also available to a lot of kids who had not known anything except violence, harassment and humiliation by the apartheid police. A lot of them were not prepared academically. They needed extra help that was provided.
Additionally, Nigeria paid for hundreds of South Africans to graduate in Europe and North America.
Many commentators have even argued that Nigeria’s good deeds to South Africa are so much that they can never be repaid in any way. But really, Nigeria expect nothing less than a cordial developmental relationship.
But such expectations were never met as the Nigeria – South Africa relations has continuously seen more disagreement than cooperation, especially on the political front.
In regional and international issues, Nigeria and South Africa are always seen to take varied stands, which has led many to believe that there is indeed some degree of distrust between both countries who at the same time represent the hope of Africa.
In March 1995 Nobel laureate winner, Wole Soyinka was denied entry to South Africa for a conference which was eventually cancelled by the South African government on the ground of certain disagreements with Nigeria.
In 2012, 125 Nigerian travelers to South Africa were expelled due to not having yellow fever certificates, which met a retaliatory action from Nigeria as 56 South African business people were also expelled from Nigeria.
Since then till now, the relationship between Nigeria and South Africa has continued to go down. A recent issue was the seizure of about $15 million last year by South Africa when Nigeria wanted to purchase arms in that country in order to deal with the mounting domestic pressure from Boko Haram.
Many Nigerians were of the opinion that the issue should have been diplomatically resolved instead of the global embarrassment that South Africa subjected Nigeria to.
The incident according to many Nigerians was a further revelation of South Africa’s resentment towards Nigeria.
On October 18, 2007, Lucky Dube, a famous South African musician was killed in the Johannesburg suburb of Rosettenville shortly after dropping two of his seven children off at their uncle’s house. Police reports suggest he was shot dead by carjackers who mistook him for Nigerian. This fact can be found on Lucky Dube’s profile by Wikipedia.
In an interview with Leadership, Mrs. Imade Ize-Iyamu, a Lagos based communication executive also re-echoed the sentiment of many Nigerians.
“Despite our efforts towards the liberation of South Africa, we are still treated with little or no respect. Even during the memorial service of late Nelson Mandela, whom Nigeria stood by during the apartheid regime, our president was not even allowed to speak or show some final respect to Mandela. But western countries that stood against Mandela at that time were given preferential recognition. This shows how they feel towards us,” she said.
Increasing reactions to the xenophobic attacks
Nigerian Consul-General in South Africa, Uche Ajulu-Okeke has said that Nigerians have lost more than N21 million (1.2 million Rands) in the on-going xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
Two of the three Nigerians who were attacked in Durban South Africa, were also reportedly wounded.
The Nigerian government has promptly reacted to the issue by demanding that the South African government do something fast about the xenophobic attacks.
In addition, the Nigerian government, with the support of the opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) that just won the presidential election has threatened to close down South African businesses in Nigeria if the situation was not brought under control.
The Nigerian High commission in Pretoria has already announced the possible evacuation of Nigerians, including those who cannot afford travel tickets from South Africa starting from yesterday (April 20).
Senator-elect, Comrade Shehu Sani, who is also the president of the Civic Right Congress of Nigeria, has said that the xenophobic attacks against Nigerians living in South Africa stands unreservedly condemned.
“South African xenophobes are anti-African reactionaries and counter-revolutionaries. They are vestiges and residues of apartheid rule… The perpetrators of those acts of violence represent an evil force against African unity, solidarity and future,” he said.
The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, in a statement signed by its president general, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, has also expressed concern over the ongoing xenophobic attacks in South Africa, especially against Nigerians.
“It is true that the government of South Africa and other countries of the world have condemned the attacks, yet we demand that the (South African) government investigate and punish those involved in accordance with provisions of the law of the land”, the statement read.
There was report of protest by some Nigerians at the MTN office in Benin-City, Edo State, on Monday. MTN and Multichoice, among other mega South African businesses operating in Nigeria, have been doing business very peacefully in Nigeria over the years without any form of disturbance from Nigerians. But the situation may change as the
National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has threatened to demand the closure of South African businesses in Nigeria if the xenophobic attacks continue.
Same reactions have also been seen in a number of African countries as a sign of their displeasure with South Africa.
South African vehicles have been pelted with stones in Mozambique. Protests have been held at various South African embassies across the continent, and several South African musicians have been forced to cancel concerts abroad.
In Zambia, a privately owned radio station has stopped playing South African music in protest.
Protests against the xenophobic attacks in South Africa are also very evident on the social media. On Twitter, the hash tag #XenophobicSA has become very popular and used to condemn the dastardly act. Also on Facebook and other social media platforms, local and international condemnation has trailed the attacks.
In the face of this seemingly endless attack on and hate for African nationals especially Nigerians by South Africa, voices like Imade Ize-Iyamu have stressed the need for the Nigerian government to always strive to defend her citizens no matter where they are.
She also expressed her desire for the Nigerian government to encourage Nigerian content and take decisions that will aid the rise of local businesses that can compete favourably with any global business. The fact that there is no alternative to South Africa’s DSTV and Shoprite in Nigeria, according to her, is worrisome enough.
Many Nigerians have called for the rapid industrialisation of Nigeria in order to reduce the surge of Nigerians to other countries to take up petty jobs where they are treated with little or no regard.
Courtesy: Leadership
The South Africans who are championing the xenophobic attacks have claimed that African nationals in South Africa have taken over their jobs and constitute social nuisance. This kind of xenophobic attack is not the first of its kind in South Africa.
The latest outbreak of anti-immigrant violence has been widely blamed on a speech made last month by King Goodwill Zwelithini, traditional leader of the Zulu ethnic group, in which he linked foreigners to crime and said they must “take their bags and go”. The king has since claimed his words were misconstrued.
Most people who have taken a critical stand against the acts of xenophobia in South Africa have also mentioned that it is not just an act of brutality, but a sign of ungratefulness on the part of South Africans, who were able to conquer the apartheid regime through the overwhelming support of many African countries, with Nigeria very prominent on that list.
During the apartheid era in South Africa, Nigeria was one of the foremost supporters of black South African liberation movements especially the African National Congress (ANC).
Then the Nigerian government issued more than 300 passports to South Africans seeking to come to Nigeria or travel elsewhere.
Sonny Okosun, a Nigerian musician, wrote the hit song ‘Fire in Soweto’ in 1977 to commemorate the 1976 Soweto uprising against while rule in South Africa.
The Nigerian government under the administration of the late Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was the first to ever provide financial support to the ANC.
In addition, the defunct National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), first republic political party led by the founder of modern Nigeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, provided home for the late Nelson Mandela in Lagos till Mandela decided to go back to South Africa and begin the resistance against apartheid.
Nigeria led a vocal protest against the Sharpeville massacre of 1960 and in 1961 entered an alliance with Commonwealth ministers who wanted South Africa to leave the Commonwealth.
From then till 1995, Nigeria alone, according to the South African Institute of International Affairs, spent over $61 billion to support the end of apartheid. No other country in the world made such contribution.
Nigerian citizens were asked to make tax-deductible donations to support the ANC in the 1970s.
Students across Nigerian universities and schools would sometimes forfeit their lunch to donate the money to the ANC.
Education for black South Africans was the most pressing need of the ANC. They insisted that they wanted their kids, the future leaders, to be educated up to, at least, a bachelor degree level in Africa.
Nigeria opened its elite secondary schools, Federal Government Colleges and universities like the University of Lagos, University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello Zaria,
University of Nigeria Nsukka, University of Ife and Benin, to South Africans.
Many of the ANC combatants arrived in Nigeria with body scars and diverse emotional traumas. Psychological help in terms of counseling was also available to a lot of kids who had not known anything except violence, harassment and humiliation by the apartheid police. A lot of them were not prepared academically. They needed extra help that was provided.
Additionally, Nigeria paid for hundreds of South Africans to graduate in Europe and North America.
Many commentators have even argued that Nigeria’s good deeds to South Africa are so much that they can never be repaid in any way. But really, Nigeria expect nothing less than a cordial developmental relationship.
But such expectations were never met as the Nigeria – South Africa relations has continuously seen more disagreement than cooperation, especially on the political front.
In regional and international issues, Nigeria and South Africa are always seen to take varied stands, which has led many to believe that there is indeed some degree of distrust between both countries who at the same time represent the hope of Africa.
In March 1995 Nobel laureate winner, Wole Soyinka was denied entry to South Africa for a conference which was eventually cancelled by the South African government on the ground of certain disagreements with Nigeria.
In 2012, 125 Nigerian travelers to South Africa were expelled due to not having yellow fever certificates, which met a retaliatory action from Nigeria as 56 South African business people were also expelled from Nigeria.
Since then till now, the relationship between Nigeria and South Africa has continued to go down. A recent issue was the seizure of about $15 million last year by South Africa when Nigeria wanted to purchase arms in that country in order to deal with the mounting domestic pressure from Boko Haram.
Many Nigerians were of the opinion that the issue should have been diplomatically resolved instead of the global embarrassment that South Africa subjected Nigeria to.
The incident according to many Nigerians was a further revelation of South Africa’s resentment towards Nigeria.
On October 18, 2007, Lucky Dube, a famous South African musician was killed in the Johannesburg suburb of Rosettenville shortly after dropping two of his seven children off at their uncle’s house. Police reports suggest he was shot dead by carjackers who mistook him for Nigerian. This fact can be found on Lucky Dube’s profile by Wikipedia.
In an interview with Leadership, Mrs. Imade Ize-Iyamu, a Lagos based communication executive also re-echoed the sentiment of many Nigerians.
“Despite our efforts towards the liberation of South Africa, we are still treated with little or no respect. Even during the memorial service of late Nelson Mandela, whom Nigeria stood by during the apartheid regime, our president was not even allowed to speak or show some final respect to Mandela. But western countries that stood against Mandela at that time were given preferential recognition. This shows how they feel towards us,” she said.
Increasing reactions to the xenophobic attacks
Nigerian Consul-General in South Africa, Uche Ajulu-Okeke has said that Nigerians have lost more than N21 million (1.2 million Rands) in the on-going xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
Two of the three Nigerians who were attacked in Durban South Africa, were also reportedly wounded.
The Nigerian government has promptly reacted to the issue by demanding that the South African government do something fast about the xenophobic attacks.
In addition, the Nigerian government, with the support of the opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) that just won the presidential election has threatened to close down South African businesses in Nigeria if the situation was not brought under control.
The Nigerian High commission in Pretoria has already announced the possible evacuation of Nigerians, including those who cannot afford travel tickets from South Africa starting from yesterday (April 20).
Senator-elect, Comrade Shehu Sani, who is also the president of the Civic Right Congress of Nigeria, has said that the xenophobic attacks against Nigerians living in South Africa stands unreservedly condemned.
“South African xenophobes are anti-African reactionaries and counter-revolutionaries. They are vestiges and residues of apartheid rule… The perpetrators of those acts of violence represent an evil force against African unity, solidarity and future,” he said.
The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, in a statement signed by its president general, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, has also expressed concern over the ongoing xenophobic attacks in South Africa, especially against Nigerians.
“It is true that the government of South Africa and other countries of the world have condemned the attacks, yet we demand that the (South African) government investigate and punish those involved in accordance with provisions of the law of the land”, the statement read.
There was report of protest by some Nigerians at the MTN office in Benin-City, Edo State, on Monday. MTN and Multichoice, among other mega South African businesses operating in Nigeria, have been doing business very peacefully in Nigeria over the years without any form of disturbance from Nigerians. But the situation may change as the
National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has threatened to demand the closure of South African businesses in Nigeria if the xenophobic attacks continue.
Same reactions have also been seen in a number of African countries as a sign of their displeasure with South Africa.
South African vehicles have been pelted with stones in Mozambique. Protests have been held at various South African embassies across the continent, and several South African musicians have been forced to cancel concerts abroad.
In Zambia, a privately owned radio station has stopped playing South African music in protest.
Protests against the xenophobic attacks in South Africa are also very evident on the social media. On Twitter, the hash tag #XenophobicSA has become very popular and used to condemn the dastardly act. Also on Facebook and other social media platforms, local and international condemnation has trailed the attacks.
In the face of this seemingly endless attack on and hate for African nationals especially Nigerians by South Africa, voices like Imade Ize-Iyamu have stressed the need for the Nigerian government to always strive to defend her citizens no matter where they are.
She also expressed her desire for the Nigerian government to encourage Nigerian content and take decisions that will aid the rise of local businesses that can compete favourably with any global business. The fact that there is no alternative to South Africa’s DSTV and Shoprite in Nigeria, according to her, is worrisome enough.
Many Nigerians have called for the rapid industrialisation of Nigeria in order to reduce the surge of Nigerians to other countries to take up petty jobs where they are treated with little or no regard.
Courtesy: Leadership
No comments:
Post a Comment