FG orders immediate evacuation of Nigerians from South Africa

0
911
*Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday, ordered immediate evacuation of all Nigerians who are willing to return home from South Africa.

The president gave the directive after he received the report of the special envoy sent to South Africa to convey a special message to President Cyril Ramaphosa over the recent xenophobic attacks in the country.

It would be recalled that the president had, in the wake of the xenophobic attacks by South Africans against other Africans including Nigerians, sent the director general of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mr. Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, as his special envoy to South Africa, to convey a special message to Ramaphosa.

A statement by the special adviser to the president on media and publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said the voluntary evacuation was necessary in view of the violence against Nigerians and their business interests in South Africa.

Adesina further disclosed that President Buhari stressed the need for South African government to take visible measures to stop violence against citizens of brotherly African nations.

He stated that Buhari expressed worry about that the recurring xenophobia could negatively affect the image and standing of South Africa as one of the leading countries on the continent, if nothing is done to stop it.

He said Abubakar conveyed Buhari’s assurance that the federal government would be ready and willing to collaborate with the South African government to find a lasting solution to the involvement of few Nigerians in criminal activities, and to protect the lives and property of the larger groups of other law abiding Nigerians and indeed Africans in general, against all forms of attacks including xenophobia.

“President Buhari further assured that the Nigerian government will guarantee the safety of lives, property and business interests of South Africans in Nigeria,” said Adesina.

Meanwhile, the chairman of Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said the evacuation of Nigerians from South Africa will commence on Wednesday.

She also said no fewer than 640 Nigerians were willing to be evacuated from South Africa.

“At least 640 Nigerians have registered to come back home from South Africa and Air Peace will transport them home in two operations.

“Two planes will convey them. When we receive the first two batches, we will know how many more will come. With the envoy’s briefing to the president, we will be having everything in place,” she said.

She said emergency travel documents will be made for returnees with expired passports.

She also said the evacuees will be encouraged to enroll in entrepreneurial programmes while the federal government would continue to demand compensation from the South African government.

“They went on their own and have volunteered to come back. They belong to states as well but on the part of the federal government, we have the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) that we encourage them to enroll in, small scale entrepreneurial programme with the Bank of Industry (BoI), Special Intervention Programme (SIP) also.

“In the meantime, we continue to demand compensation for Nigerians that have been attacked in South Africa,” she added.

Meanwhile, she disclosed that eight police officers had been charged to court for their involvement in killing Nigerians in South Africa and four more were recently arrested.

Concerning another Nigeria, Mrs. Elizabeth Chukwu, who was killed while attending a conference in South Africa, she said the government was still waiting for the results of the compensation.

“They promised us to get the result. Also, there must be consequences for actions. If policemen or your people go out killing people and nothing happens to them, it will continue to happen. So South Africa should tell their people to put a stop to it. We believe a lot of education and awareness need to go to the South Africans on the street who believe that the foreigners are their problem.

“Four policemen were arrested and charged to court over the killing of a Nigerian in his house a while ago and in the case of Mrs. Chukwu, the case has been made a “high profile case and is being handled by a brigadier general. We are saying let these cases end so we’ll know the result.

“That’s the first time that South Africa is charging its policemen to court. For this particular issue, no life was lost but properties were damaged.

“The South African government has said that this will stop but their government needs to show the political will that it will stop and to do so, prosecute perpetrators of the crime. If you say cases are in court, let the cases end. Killing is a criminal offence and should be treated as such,” she said.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here