The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), the apex students governing body, has issued a four- day ultimatum to South African businesses to leave Nigeria.
Key Highlights
- NANS has given South African businesses a four-day ultimatum to leave Nigeria over alleged xenophobic attacks on Nigerians.
- The student body warned of protests and other actions if the businesses fail to comply after the deadline.
- NANS accused South Africa of allowing continued attacks, intimidation and killings of Nigerians and other Africans.
- The association urged the Federal Government and the African Union to take stronger action against South Africa.
- The statement follows reports of Nigerians fleeing South Africa after losing businesses, valuables and livelihoods due to xenophobic violence.
The ultimatum is contained in a statement issued on Monday in Enugu, by Bestman Okereafor, NANS National Executive Director, Cooperate and Private Sectors Engagement.
The statement said that after the expiration of the ultimatum, South African businesses would face full wrath of the over 43.1 million Nigerian students scattered in the nooks and crannies of the country.
“The attention of the apex students governing body, NANS, has been drawn to continuous attacks, intimidation and subsequent chase of law abiding, peaceful and hardworking Nigerians and other Africans from South Africa.
“As the biggest students body in Africa, we are giving South African business interests four days to evacuate our beloved country, Nigeria.
“The reason for this action is simple. South Africans cannot continue to oppress and chase our people from their country and expect their businesses to thrive on our soil,” it said.
The statement further noted that immediately after expiration of the ultimatum, NANS will consider picketing South Africa business interests, while further actions will follow.
It called on the federal government and the African Union (AU) to take more decisive actions against South Africa for their inimical acts towards other Africans.
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“It is on record that Nigeria played a major role in support of South Africa during the apartheid struggle and should never be paid with disloyalty, disrespect and global embarrassment,” it added.
It would be recalled that xenophobic attack by South Africans on other Africans for some months had led to Nigerians being physically assaulted, embarrassed, intimidated, injured and some gruesomely murdered.
Several Nigeria businesses and business premises, owned by law- abiding Nigerians in South Africa, had been completely burnt down or destroyed by rampaging South Africans without any justification.
The alleged perpetrators of these crimes had earlier given Nigerians and other Africans an ultimatum of June 30 to leave South Africa.
The federal government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had in recent weeks, airlifted hundreds of Nigerians, who are willing to leave the unfriendly country and her people, free of charge back to Nigeria.
However, some of those, who returned to Nigeria recently, left South Africa barely with the cloth they put on, losing savings, valuables and businesses they set up or acquired after many years.
