• Killings must not be swept under carpet, says Erameh
• Akpokabayen insist South Africa still not safe amid eased tension
Despite an emotionally charged debate marked by calls for sweeping economic sanctions and a possible diplomatic rupture with South Africa, the Senate, yesterday, stopped short of endorsing the hard-line proposals, choosing instead to pursue a more cautious diplomatic path.
But Senior Research Fellow at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Dr Nicholas Erameh, urged Nigeria and the African Union (AU) to exhaust regional diplomatic and legal mechanisms before considering international litigation against South Africa over the recurring xenophobic attacks on Africans, especially Nigerians.
Although tensions have eased following the June 30 anti-migrant protest deadline in South Africa, the Chairman, Board of Trustees, Nigerian Union, South Africa, Ekos Akpokabayen, said the security situation remains fragile as xenophobic attacks continue to spread to new areas, prompting more Nigerians to register for voluntary departure from the country.
Even as the Senate unanimously condemned the renewed attacks on Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa, its leadership resisted mounting pressure from lawmakers who demanded immediate punitive action against Pretoria.
The debate, sparked by a motion sponsored by Asuquo Ekpenyong (APC, Cross River South), who warned that anti-foreigner vigilantism in South Africa had escalated beyond undocumented migrants to include Nigerians and other African nationals legally residing and working in the country.
As the proceedings unfolded, it became evident that the leadership was reluctant to commit the Senate to measures that could significantly strain bilateral relations.
Presenting the motion, Ekpenyong noted that even Nigerians with valid residence permits, work permits and immigration documents had reportedly been profiled, threatened, harassed and forced from their homes by unauthorised vigilante groups.
He reminded the Senate that Nigeria played a historic role in South Africa’s liberation struggle, providing diplomatic, financial and material support to the anti-apartheid movement, campaigning for the release of Nelson Mandela and hosting the 1977 World Conference for Action Against Apartheid in Lagos under the military administration of General Olusegun Obasanjo.
Supporting the motion, Senator Mohammed Monguno (APC, Borno North) described the recurring attacks as an unfortunate cycle that resurfaces every one or two years.
He argued that Nigeria’s foreign policy must become more citizen-centred, with the protection of Nigerians abroad forming the core objective of the country’s diplomatic engagements.
Reminding the Senate of Nigeria’s enormous sacrifices in the struggle against apartheid, former governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Kalu (APC, Abia North), expressed disappointment that Nigerians were now victims of repeated xenophobic violence.
While commending President Bola Tinubu and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for facilitating the evacuation of Nigerians willing to return home, Kalu maintained that South Africa should compensate Nigerians whose businesses and properties had been destroyed.
He nevertheless urged continued diplomatic engagement rather than retaliatory actions, saying Nigeria should continue to utilise international legal and diplomatic channels to seek justice.
IN an interview on Arise News yesterday, Erameh described the Federal Government’s response as “a step in the right direction”, while expressing disappointment over South Africa’s failure to decisively address the repeated attacks and killing of foreign nationals.
His comments come amid renewed diplomatic tensions following Nigeria’s evacuation of batches of citizens from South Africa after recent xenophobic attacks, the death of at least three Nigerians, and Abuja’s demand for accountability and compensation.
Erameh said the violence reflects a longstanding pattern in South Africa.
He added: “If you understand the dynamics of South African society very well, you will see that every time issues like this come up, there is always a conspiracy of silence on the part of successive governments, and that itself has become a problem.
“It is not to say that there are no criminals among Nigerians or even among South Africans, but the kind of responses that have come from the South African government are very disappointing.”
Source: The Guardian Nigeria News
