Nigerian students threaten to shut down South African companies in Nigeria over #Xenophobic attacks

Peeved by the continuous and repeated attacks on Nigerians living and doing business in South Africa, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the South African government to bring to a halt the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa or risk the closure of prominent South African investments like the telecoms giant, MTN, Shoprite, Rand Merchant Bank etc., which are operating in the country.

The students' body in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Mr. Nwankwo Ezekiel, on Sunday in Abuja gave the warning to the South African government where it condemned the attacks.


The warning came as the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Lulu Mguni, pleaded that Nigerians should neither carry out reprisals nor boycott South African companies and services operating in Nigeria, especially as the attackers in South Africa are already being arrested for prosecution and punishment.

In an interview with ThisDay, Ambassador Mguni argued that since the economy of both countries are interlinked, any attack could have mutual effect on the countries.

It was gathered that there are between 800,000 and one million Nigerians in different parts of South Africa.
 

The attacks are said to have cost Nigerians some 1.2 million Rand (about N21 million) since the outbreak of the xenophobic offensives.

NANS "condemns the sudden mysterious death of our own father, mother, brother, sister and loss of their properties in South Africa as a result of xenophobic attacks leaving behind their love ones."

"It is with a sense of brotherhood that we are mandating the South African government to ensure an urgent solution to bring to an end this killing of our own citizens within the next seven days or it will leave us with no alternative than to go against all the South Africa investments in our noble country Nigeria and will not stop at this but furthermore, make all South Africa citizen uncomfortable in our country," it added.
The South African government has been chided for not doing enough to prevent reoccurring xenophobic attacks on other Africans, one of which claimed 62 lives in May 2008.

Credit: ThisDay

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