- Ekweremadu wants diplomatic ties with South Africa severed
Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan, Tuesday reacted to the recent xenophobic attacks on Nigerians living in South Africa saying Nigeria has had enough of such attacks.
This is coming just as the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, called on Nigerians to retaliate such attacks while the immediate past Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, canvassed for the severance of diplomatic relations with South Africa in view of the persistent xenophobic attacks.
Lawan, in a statement personally signed by him, emphasised that Nigeria has had enough of its citizens being targets of the xenophobic attacks in South Africa and will no longer tolerate hate crimes in any form against its citizens who are doing legitimate businesses in that country.
Xenophobic violence, according to him, is most condemnable anywhere; more so in South Africa, a country whose citizens benefitted from the unwavered support and solidarity of Africans and freedom lovers across the world in their historic struggle against apartheid.
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He added that “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 the prolonged confrontation against the powerful racist regime that had 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.
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.