Xenophobic Attacks: Nigeria Deserves Better From South Africa – APC

…Calls on ruling African National Congress to step in

The All Progressives Congress (APC), on Tuesday strongly condemned the recent South African xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals, particularly on Nigerians, their property and businesses.

The APC said it is deeply saddened by the unwarranted attacks, stressing that Nigeria deserves better from South Africa.

This is just as the ruling party assured Nigerians that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration would continue to take decisive measures, adding that the safety of Nigerians – home and abroad – is non-negotiable to the APC administration.

It explained that the summon of the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria over the xenophobic attacks on Nigeria by the Nigerians ministry of Foreign Affairs, is one of the first steps in President Muhammadu Buhari-led government’s proactive response to this unfortunate incident.

These were contained in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, who noted that it is too early for South Africans to forget their country’s history. According to Issa-Onilu; “Many of the key players in the struggle against apartheid are still alive and active in the country’s national affairs. We therefore cannot understand why there seems to be a conspiracy of silence on their part.

“The barbaric attack on citizens of other countries points to a failure of leadership. South African leaders cannot exonerate themselves from this cowardly act.

“We call on the South African ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC) to urgently step in. This is completely at variance with what ANC stood for. The ANC government can no longer pretend about this obvious contradiction.”

The APC also noted that the violence being meted to Nigerians under ANC calls to question the very essence of the struggle against apartheid in which Nigeria was a frontline ally of South Africa.

“How can those who supported you and made huge sacrifices for your freedom become fair games to be murdered in cold blood?

“Perhaps there is a disconnect between the younger and older generations of South Africa. The older generation cannot sit back while the uninformed youths and some South African public officials in their quest for inordinate populism destroy what we collectively achieved over several decades of sacrifice and brotherliness.”