Xenophobia: Lawmaker Demands Diplomatic Sanctions Against South Africa

Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora, Hon. Rita Orji has urged Nigerian government to consider a diplomatic sanction against South Africa, until Nigeria living in the country are protected.She also urged Nigerians living in South Africa to return home as thier security by the government of thier host country cannot be guaranteed.Orji in an interview with selected journalists noted that the protracted xenophobic attacks against Nigerians by South African natives persisted even after inter-parliamentary engagement between the two countries.let the South African Embassy here go home and let the Nigerian high commission over there return home until there is a lasting solution to this problem. What will be a good relationship when the parliament left their country to South Africa and on returning another attack started' Does it show they value the delegation that came, does it show they have respect for the government of Nigeria, if they do, the reoccurrence will not be within three days, she said.Orji added that a diplomatic sanction against the government of South Africa would mea that the Nigerian government is serious about protecting the lives and properties of her citizens abroad.That is to show that what they want us to come and do is talk and go and that is why I dont want to be part of talk and go. I want action and that action must be seen, felt and heard, Orji said.According to Orji, the Nigerian government should not massage the ego its South African counterpart.It is not to go and massage the ego of South Africans or their envoy, the truth of the matter is that there is a gang up against Nigerians in South Africa. I made it clear that the manner the re-occurrence of xenophobic attack is coming in 2015, 2016 and 2017, the time shall come when it will not take six months before it re-occurs because nobody has been sentenced to death.She added that, No remedy has been given to those that were attacked, those their businesses were looted were not compensated and there is no economic loss to South Africa. Nigeria is supposed to take a critical look at the issues and tell their embassy over here to control these people they call unknown soldiers that are killing human beings.
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