Xenophobia: FG Ready To Evacuate Nigerians Willing To Leave South Africa

Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed on Thursday said the Federal Government is ready to evacuate Nigerians willing to leave South Africa and come back home.

Mohammed spoke in Abuja at a news conference, saying that the Federal Government would leave nothing to chance to protect Nigerian citizens anywhere around the world, including South Africa where they had been subjected to repeated xenophobic attacks, with terrible consequences that included loss of lives and property.

He added that President Muhammadu Buhari had already dispatched a special envoy to meet with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, while Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey has summoned the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria.

“Of course you are aware that Nigeria is recalling its High Commissioner to South Africa, in addition to boycotting the World Economic Forum on Africa taking place in South Africa.
Government is also ready to evacuate Nigerians willing to return home from South Africa, in addition to other measures being considered to decisively tackle this cankerworm of xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.

The minister appealed  to Nigerians who were angered by the xenophobic attacks on their compatriots in South Africa not to engage in reprisal attacks, because such attacks hurt Nigerians working in such places more.