Xenophobia: ‎National Assembly threatens retaliation, berates Foreign Affairs Ministry

The National Assembly Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs ‎on Tuesday berated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for negligence in the handling of the Xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.
This was as the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Khadijat Buka-Abba, failed to give the numbers of Nigerians that were killed between 2014 and 2015 during xenophobic attacks. ‎
The Chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Monsurat Summonu, who made this known in her closing remarks during a meeting between the Ministry and the legislature, frowned on the Ministry’s failure to meet up with the recommendations of the Senate on ‎xenophobic attacks that happened between 2014 and15 in South Africa.
Sunmonu said: “We know the efforts of Nigerians in South Africa.
“We have been talking to you based on report of the Senate committee with the Foreign Affairs Ministry in April 2015.
“Two years ago, we had this booklet and we have gone through all the findings and all the recommendations, but unfortunately you have not met even one single thing out of if.
“So, does that mean that if we have not invited you this would have been another story?
“Have you been able to invite Nigerians that lost their properties in 2015 to tell them that we are negotiating something for you?
“No, you haven’t.
“To the committee, we are not happy.
“We are highly disappointed and what we would expect is that your delegation, we have the mandate of the two houses, for us to go South Africa.
“They will all go together see them and look at the Memorandum of Understanding or bilateral agreement of what you are signing.
“It has to be give and take.
“If it is necessary, Nigeria will not hesitate to put sanctions on South Africa in this country.
“We would be able to enforce them to do the right thing with Nigerians outside otherwise we have to do back to them here in this country.
“It’s tit for tat and we would not hesitate to put our feet down to be able to tell them and say enough is enough.”
During the plenary session, the Senate agreed to send powerful delegates to the South African Government over the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in the country.
The Senate’s decision was sequel to a motion sponsored by Senator Rose Oko, who expressed dissatisfaction with xenophobic attacks on Nigerians despite the diplomatic ties between the two countries.