TMG demands evacuation of Nigerians from South Africa

A civil rights organisation, Transition Monitoring Group, on Monday called on the Federal Government to evacuate Nigerians trapped in South Africa because of the attacks on foreigners in the former apartheid enclave.

The TMG specifically challenged the President-elect, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), “to work assiduously to ensure that Nigerians are safe wherever they are in the world.”

The organisation, which challenged South Africa to address the inequalities which, it said, “remain the root causes of frequent outbreak of xenophobic violence”, said “no more will Nigerian lives be considered fair game in any part of the world.”

A statement in Abuja by the Chairman of TMG, Mr. Ibrahim Zikirullahi, condemned the killings and empathised with fellow Nigerians and other African nationals living in South Africa, “who now have to live in fear, as a result of the most recent wave of xenophobic attacks targeting foreigners.”

According to him, it is ironic that a section of the South African citizenry has chosen to vent anger on people from fellow African countries, which stood in solidarity with South Africans during apartheid era.

Zikirullahi said, “TMG reckons that the leadership of South Africa has to move quickly to address the glaring inequalities that remain the root causes of frequent outbreak of xenophobic violence. While not trying to tutor South Africans on how to run their affairs, TMG observes that the astronomical level of unemployment, standing at 25 per cent, remains a tinderbox that would always go off.

“For the Nigerian government, TMG expects a much more robust response in the face of the current realities. As the government watches the situation, it must be on the alert in readiness to evacuate our compatriots should the situation degenerates.

“Our foreign mission in South Africa must be prepared to work round the clock to assist Nigerians, who may need help in the face of this dangerous onslaught.”

TMG suggested that Nigeria’s diplomacy and foreign policy, especially in the post-May 29, 2015, period must grapple with how to ensure the safety of all Nigerian citizens outside our shores.

The group recalled that several African countries, with Nigeria leading the charge, put their interests on the line and toiled to ensure the end of white minority rule in South Africa.