By Andrew Onyejuruuwa
Dr. John Nnia Nwodo, the President General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has reacted to the inhuman treatment of foreign nationals by South Africans describing the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other foreign nationals in South Africa as a criminal and cowardly act. He therefore joined his voice to other reasonable human beings by calling on federal government to announce a retaliatory measure immediately.
In a statement to express his displeasure, the Igbo leader said, “The xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other Africans in the Republic of South Africa has been persistent, provocative and criminal. It smacks of absolute ingratitude on the part of a country Nigeria sacrificed so much for. It promotes divisive local conversations that give our government an opportunity to dramatise our unity of purpose.”
The President General of the Pan Igbo cultural group asked the federal government to announce retaliatory measures that would symbolise a message that enough was enough. He said, “The federal government must be courageous enough to announce retaliatory measures that will make it clear that enough is enough. Such measures must address specific South African assets in Nigeria especially in the communication, oil, banking and aviation sectors. Not to do so will portray us as weak, encourage a reoccurrence of these dastardly attacks in the future and leave us a deeply angry and divided nation” He said that the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide was anxious to see the federal government do the right thing this time around.