In the past few days, xenophobic and anti-immigrant attacks in South
Africa reached a tipping point. Innocent Nigerians, whose leaders were
instrumental to ending the apartheid regime in South Africa, were killed
with some citizens of South Africa saying that there is nothing the
Nigerian government would do. This comment was made due to the failure
of government to assert itself in the face of these wanton killings over
the last four years.
The Buhari administration has also proven this comment to be true with
its response to the recent killings of Nigerians in South Africa. The
xenophobic and anti-immigrant attacks on Nigerians living in South
Africa which have become a recurring decimal will hardly stop due to the
poor response of the Nigerian government. Government is not taking tough
and decisive action against these attacks targeted at Nigerians and
their businesses in South Africa.
The reason is that there is no foreign policy direction under the Buhari
administration. Nigeria is presently regarded as the giant of Africa,
but other countries on the African continent do not have regard for
Nigeria’s status. Nigeria has failed to provide the needed leadership
for other African countries. Also, Nigerian leaders do not care about
the plights of their citizens whether home or abroad.
Why would citizens of other countries treat Nigerians with such
contempt? The Nigerian government over the years has not shown that it
cares and value the lives of Nigerians. Nigerian citizens have taken the
law into their hands, attacking South African businesses in Nigeria to
register their displeasure over the killings of fellow Nigerians. This
is due to the failure of the Buhari administration to take tough and
decisive actions in the last four years in the face of constant attack
and killings of Nigerian citizens. Despite the people’s anger with
government’s response so far, the Buhari administration through the
Minister of Foreign Affairs says ‘’it would continue to pursue the
option of engaging the South African authorities to promote peace’’.
This is not the first time Nigerians would be attacked and killed in
South Africa. Under Mr. Onyeama’s watch as Minister of Foreign
Affairs, at least 200 Nigerians have been killed in South Africa. Over
the last four years, Mr. Onyeama has been slow in responding to these
killings but rather has been promoting economic diplomacy. During the
ministerial confirmation at the senate, Mr Onyeama defended the South
African government saying they are not complicit in the killings of
Nigerians in South Africa. As governments continues to be weak in its
response, there will be no end to the violent attacks and killings of
Nigerians in South Africa. In June 2019, Deputy Director-General of
Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria, Mrs. Elizabeth Ndubuisi-Chukwu
who was attending the conference of the African Insurance Organisation
in South Africa was murdered in her hotel room, but the Nigerian High
Commission in South Africa and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are yet
to fish out her killers and hold the South African government to account
despite assurances in the aftermath of the incident. One month after in
July 2019, a Nigerian teenager, Chinonso Obiaju, was reportedly shot
dead in Johannesburg, South Africa. Nigerians do not trust that the
Buhari administration is capable of putting a stop to these acts of
wanton violence and killings.
The manner in which the Buhari administration has treated the issue of
xenophobic and anti-immigrant attacks on Nigerian citizens in South
Africa says a lot. First, the Buhari administration said it has fixed a
meeting with the president of South Africa for October 2019 but then,
President Buhari had a brief meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa on
the sidelines of the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African
Development (TICAD) in Japan. President Ramaphosa during this meeting
said he is working to end killings of Nigerians in South Africa. But in
less than one week, some citizens of South Africa resumed xenophobic and
anti-immigrant attacks on Nigerians. In response to the recent attacks,
the Minister of Foreign Affairs summoned the South African High
Commissioner to Nigeria who denied the attacks were xenophobic. Next,
the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Mr Femi
Adesina said his boss has sent a special envoy to President Ramaphosa
who is expected to land in Pretoria by Thursday 5th September, 2019.
These are calculated attempts to save the face of the Buhari
administration.
The anger of Nigerians over the constant killings of fellow citizens
abroad is not misplaced. However, two wrongs don’t make a right. The
recent wave of looting and violent attacks targeting South African
businesses by Nigerian youths should be condemned. Nigerians can’t
travel to other countries for greener pastures and be victimized or
killed because they are industrious and intelligent. This is the reason
why the Buhari administration must take tough and decisive actions
against South Africa. Approaching the issue of xenophobic and
anti-immigrant attacks in South Africa from a weak position shows that
the lives of Nigerians do not matter which is why Nigerians back home
are outraged. Nigerians have decided to stand up for their fellow
citizens involved in xenophobic and anti-immigrant attacks in South
Africa since government has failed to fight for them.
Many Nigerians are also killed on a daily basis on the Nigerian soil.
Governments have been unable to put an end to these wanton killings
using the same approach and strategies that have proven to be
ineffective. Hence, Nigerians have decided to fight their own battles
without relying on government.
Nigeria is no doubt critical to the rest of the continent in the words
of former US President, Barack Obama. But it has lost its glory. Many
African countries are making significant progress in terms of education,
agriculture, infrastructure, health and security. Nigeria must wake up
and regain its lost glory by providing visionary and purposeful
leadership. Nigeria must get it right and be responsive to the plight of
its citizens whether home or abroad if it wants to regain its respect
among comity of nations. Sadly, the Buhari administration is not
providing such leadership.
The Buhari administration has not done enough in securing the lives and
properties of the citizens. The slow response and indecisive action
against xenophobic and anti-immigrant attacks on Nigerians living in
South Africa shows that Nigeria is not living up to its role on the
African continent. It also shows that Nigeria’s security is no longer
at the center of our foreign policy.
BOLAJI SAMSON AREGBESHOLA IS AN OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR AND THE AUTHOR OF
‘’NIGERIAN POLITICAL PARTIES AND POLITICIANS: WINDING ROAD FROM
COUNTRY TO NATION’’.