President of the Senate Ahmad Lawan has decried with serious concern the worsening Xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa, with Nigerians being major victims.
In a statement he issued on Tuesday in Abuja, Lawan said that Nigeria has had enough of its citizens being targets of the attacks in the Southern African nation.
He said that Nigeria would no longer tolerate hate crimes in any form against its citizens, where doing legitimate businesses in that country.
“Xenophobic violence is most condemnable anywhere; more so in South Africa, a country which citizens benefitted from the unwavered support and solidarity of Africans and freedom lovers across the world in its historic struggle against apartheid.
“More disturbing, however, is that these attacks indicate the neglect of educating the younger generations on the sacrifices that Africans proudly made towards expunging the scourges of colonialism and apartheid from their continent.
“The enormous contributions of Nigeria to this historic struggle is underscored by its recognition as a frontline state in prolonged confrontation against powerful racist regime that held generations of Southern Africans in bondage and subhuman conditions.
“This recognition is in spite of the fact that Nigeria does not share geographical borders with the subregion and was far removed from the direct consequences of apartheid,” he said.
Lawan said that the liberation of South Africa was rightly celebrated across the continent and the black world as the final emancipation of Africans from colonialism and apartheid.
He said that it was an unacceptable irony that some South Africans would after now, choose other Africans in their country as the targets of mindless violent attacks over frustrations for which the innocent victims had no control.
The Senate President said that he had on July 15, met with the South African High Commissioner, Bobby Moroe, in Abuja over the same issue.
”At the meeting, I had said that the South African government must as a matter of urgency do whatever it takes to protect the lives and property of Nigerians living there”.
