Former Nigerian Ambassador to Switzerland, Joseph Ayalogu, has advised Nigeria and other African countries to demand compensation from the South African government for victims of xenophobic attacks in the Rainbow Nation.
Ayalogu said this during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday.
“It’s unfortunate that they are targeting people’s businesses. I have seen some of the posts [on social media where people are] deliberately going to people’s businesses and taking over their businesses. It’s unfortunate, and the government has to even begin to think of compensating even the people who have lost their livelihood and investments there,” Ayalogu said on the breakfast show.
“These are the things that countries, African countries, Nigeria included, should forcibly demand from the South African Government. We need affirmative action from the government of South Africa to really call this to order, rein in their people, and use the law. They have the law that prevents such attacks, so it’s a matter of implementing it.”
The recent wave of xenophobic attacks has seen businesses destroyed and several countries, including Nigeria and Ghana, repatriating their citizens from South Africa.
It Is Largely Afrophobic
Ayalogu claimed that the attacks are ‘largely Afrophobic’, as the masterminds are not targeting people from other continents.
“You wouldn’t say it’s xenophobic because it’s largely Afrophobic. They are not bothered, picking out Americans, Dutch, or Europeans in their midst who are actually evidently living much better than most of them. So, their bad feeling seems to be targeted at Africans,” he noted.
That development has raised concerns among millions of Africans who have called on the South African authorities to address the matter.
However, Anyalogu believes the South African government has not done enough to stem xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other Africans.
“I am not satisfied with what the government has done. Even the rhetoric of the president [of South Africa],” he said. “They should be firm to say, ‘This is not right or acceptable; it’s a criminal offence to do this,’ and put out the police or whatever they have in the street to call as many people who get involved in all that to order.
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