Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila has indicated that he will abandon his trip to Tanzania in order to return to Nigeria to discuss the current Xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.
The Speaker through his twitter handle says that the House may reconvene to discuss the matter after a meeting of the leadership of the House .
He wrote:
“Will be cutting short my trip to Tanzania for the 50th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference CPA Secretariat and will be leaving today, for the leadership of the House to consider cutting short the recess and reconvening for one day to address the killings of Nigerians in South Africa .
Incidentally, Gbajabiamila was the one that led a.parliamentary delegation to South Africa in the wake of the last xenophobic attack against Nigerians in the 8th Assembly.
Also a Member of the House Chukwuma Umeoji has called on the Federal Government to immediately shutdown all South African businesses operating in the country over the attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.
Umeoji, who represents Aguata Federal Constituency of Anambra on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA), stated this in Abuja, on Tuesday.
He said the endless xenophobic attacks against Nigerians residing in South Africa should be a cause for concern to the government and every well meaning Nigerian.
Umeoji said: ‘It is regrettable that Nigerians are killed from time to time in South Africa with the alleged tacit support of the South African government, while the Nigerian government is doing nothing about it.
“The Nigerian foreign policy must adjust to the changing realities in continental politics. Africa as the centre piece of our foreign policy is outdated. Today’s policy is retaliatory. Retaliatory diptomacy must be employed to act as a deterrent to other African Nations.
” Nigeria market is a huge weapon if strategically employed as an instrument of diplomacy. The Nigerian Government should without delay close down South African Companies operating in Nigeria.
“The Nigerian mission in South Africa should be downgraded in the interim. Nigeria should explore outright diplomatic disengagement if the Government remains non-chalant to the killing of Nigerians,” Umeoji said.
