The South African communications giant in Nigeria, MTN has closed down its offices in the country following reprisal attacks by Nigerians as South Africans continued to attack and kill Nigerians in that country.
In a statement today, September 4, the MTN’s company secretary, Uto Ukpanah said that the closure of the offices is to protect and safeguard the staff and partners of the company.
“While we remain committed to providing uninterrupted services, the safety and security of our customers, staff and partners is our primary concern. All MTN stores and service centres will be closed as a precaution until further notice.
“MTN condemns any act of violence, prejudice and xenophobia and remains absolutely committed to ensuring a peaceful, harmonious and respectful relationship with all communities in Nigeria and across Africa.
“We are engaging all relevant authorities in this regard and urge them to act swiftly to reduce tension both in South Africa and Nigeria.
“We will provide further updates as and when possible.”
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Nigeria’s Ambassador to South Africa, Ambassador Kabiru Bala to immediately quit that country and return home. Buhari also announced Nigeria’s pulling out of World Economic Summit holding in Cape Town starting today, September 4.
A presidential source told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Nigeria also demanded full compensation for the loss of life and property of Nigerians affected by the xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
This was even as President Buhari today, had a closed door meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeoffrey Onyeama at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the President’s Personal Assistant on New Media, Alhaji Bashir Ahmed, posted the pictures of the meeting
Buhari had on September 3, dispatched a Special Envoy to convey to President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa his deep concerns over the unabated attacks on Nigerian citizens and property in South Africa since Aug. 29.
NAN reports that South Africans commenced fresh attacks, looting and burning of businesses and properties belonging to Nigerians and other nationals and in the process killed three people.
Men of Nigerian Police struggle to put off the fire at the scene
Protesters have stormed Shoprite outlet at Novare Gateway, Lugbe, Abuja to express their displeasure over xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africans.
As a result of the tension created when police arrived at the scene to chase the protesters away with canisters of teargas, road leading from Lugbe to Garki became impassable. Many motorists who were held up in the immovable traffic had to find ways of turning back.
Since reports of the attacks in South Africa broke, Nigerians have stormed the premises of several businesses of South African origin such as Shoprite and MTN in Ibadan, Lagos, and a few other locations.
The Presidency has announced the postponement of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting two weeks after the ministers for the second term of Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency were sworn-in.
In a statement today, August 3 announcing the postponement of the meeting that is supposed to hold tomorrow, August 4, the senior special assistant to the President on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, attributed it the fact that all the memos earlier submitted to the Council for consideration have been returned to the various Ministries.
According to Garba Shehu, the postponement will allow Ministers who were recently sworn in have their inputs in the memos sent by their predecessors in office.
“Similarly, the period is to enable the Ministers, who are still taking briefs from bureaucrats in the Ministries and familiarizing themselves with their work space, have more time to contribute to discussions at the meeting.
“They will also utilize the period of the break to work towards the early preparation and submission of the 2020 budget estimates.”
President of the Nigerian Senate, Ahmed Lawan has made it clear to the government of South Africa that Nigeria will not take any more of the incessant attacks on and killing of Nigerians in that country saying “enough is enough.”
In a statement he personally signed today, September 3, Senator Ahmed Lawan said: “I believe we have faced enough, we will no longer take it anymore. The South African parliament must act fast to put a stop to this menace.”
The Senate President described the situation as “worsening Xenophobic attacks” on foreign nationals in South Africa in which Nigerians have been major victims.
He felt sad that Nigeria has had enough of its citizens being targets of these attacks and stressed that the country will no longer tolerate hate crimes in any form against its citizens who are doing legitimate businesses in that country.
“Xenophobic violence is most condemnable anywhere; more so in South Africa, a country whose citizens benefitted from the unwavered support and solidarity of Africans and freedom lovers across the world in their historic struggle against apartheid.
“More disturbing, however, is that these attacks indicate the neglect of educating the younger generations on the sacrifices that Africans proudly made towards expunging the scourges of colonialism and apartheid from their continent.
“The enormous contributions of Nigeria to this historic struggle is underscored by its recognition as a frontline state in the prolonged confrontation against the powerful racist regime that had held generations of Southern Africans in bondage and subhuman conditions.
“This recognition is in spite of the fact that Nigeria does not share geographical borders with the subregion and was far removed from the direct consequences of apartheid.”
The Senate President recalled that the liberation of South Africa was rightly celebrated across the continent and the Black world as the final emancipation of Africans from colonialism and apartheid.
He said that it is an unacceptable irony that a section of South Africans would so soon, after now, choose other Africans in their country as the targets of mindless violent attacks over frustrations for which the innocent victims have no control.
He also recalled that he had, on July 15, this year, met with the South African High Commissioner, Bobby Moroe, in Abuja over the same issue, adding that at the meeting, he had advised South African government, as a matter of urgency to protect the lives and property of Nigerians living there, just as the Nigerian government remain committed to the safety of South Africans residing here and their investments.
Senator Ahmed Lawan acknowledged however the efforts the Federal Government is making to register the indignation of Nigerians on the cruel treatment of their compatriots in South Africa and to force an end to it, saying that as part of the efforts on Tuesday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, summoned the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria.
“President Muhammadu Buhari has also dispatched a special envoy to meet with the South African authorities, in addition to scheduling a presidential visit to South Africa for discussions with the government of that country on how to end the attacks and redress the current situation.
“Every step necessary must be taken in protecting law-abiding foreigners, including Nigerians, and their businesses from hate crimes in South Africa.
“It is noteworthy that South Africans and their businesses are prospering from the clement environment that Nigeria offers to all without discrimination. We demand no less from them.
“The Senate is closely observing the situation and urges the Federal Government of Nigeria to accept nothing but the immediate cessation of hostility to Nigerians living in South Africa.”
The Kwara State House of Assembly has called on the state Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq to revoke a land, popularly known as Ïle Arugbo” and declare as void, the acquisition, appropriation and conversion of residence of the late Dr. Olusola Saraki.
The property with Survey No KWG927 and LAN/G-2071 is situated on Ilofa Road, GRA, Ilorin.
The Assembly made the call after considering the report of its Committee on Land, Housing and Urban Development on the property. The report was presented by the chairman of the committee, Mr. Felix Awodiji (APC-Ifelodun)
The Speaker, Danladi Yakubu-Salihu, who read the resolution of the Assembly, said that the property belongs to the state government and should be revoked.
The resolution also called for revocation of the land for development of the state and use for the purpose it was originally meant.
News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the Assembly made a similar call on July 23 to revoke government chalet sold to the former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, in GRA in llorin.
The Presidency has hit back at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which tagged President Muhammadu Buhari’s trip to Japan as a poor and disgraceful outing, reminding the party that the President was not in that country for buying and selling.
Responding to a statement by the PDP, after Buhari returned from Japan where he attended the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7), that the President’s trip was a fruitless one, special adviser to the President on media and publicity, Femi Adesina said: “Wadata House must now be Hammer House of Horror, and anybody operating from there simply talks gibberish. Did they think it was a buying and selling session?”
Femi Adesina said that on his Twitter handle: “in PDP’s hallucinations, TICAD7 was not a success for Nigeria, since PMB came back with only ‘promissory notes’.”
PDP had said in a statement immediately President Buhari returned: “it is lamentable that while President Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) are reducing our nation by celebrating a mere pledge of $300,000 (N108 million) from the Japanese Prime Minister and a promissory note for 50 million euros from an EU Commissioner, his Ghanaian counterpart, Nana Akufo-Ado had sealed a deal with automobile giant, Toyota, to immediately establish a Toyota and Suzuki manufacturing plant in Ghana with a determined timeline of August 2020 for production.
“The multinational had also signed a deal to establish a similar plant in neighboring Ivory Coast with a Memorandum of Understanding to that effect already signed last Thursday.
“It is instructive to note that Toyota announced that it preferred to cite the plant in Ghana because of the favourable economic climate prevailing in the country; a climate, which has taken flight from Nigeria under President Buhari and worsened since the rigging of the presidential election.
“It is saddening that because of President Buhari, our nation, which, under the PDP had excelled to become one of the world’s fastest growing economies and a hub for Foreign Direct Investments, is now descending into a pariah and beggarly nation with no hope in sight.”
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has discovered N840 million traced to a retired President of the Benue State Customary Court of Appeal, Mrs. Margaret Igbeta.
The anti-graft agency, has therefore asked a federal high court in Abuja, in an ex parte motion, to order the interim forfeiture of the said amount. It said that the order would prevent Igbeta from accessing the money alleged to have been obtained fraudulently in the course of her official duties.
Mrs. Igbeta was accused of operating a proxy fixed deposit account in the name of her maid, Theodora Atsu, with Ecobank Plc, where she accumulated N870,321,492.15 between 2008 and 2019.
She was said to have opened the account with her passport and the name of Atsu on March 5 2008, with an initial deposit of N8 million.
She subsequently made several other deposits, including N123,745, 925.57 and N5 million, in the months of March and May 2008.
The ICPC said that the money was far above her legitimate earnings both as a judge and the president of the customary court of appeal within the period that the account was operated.
Nigerians have started reprisal attacks on South African establishment in Nigeria against the backdrop of the attacks and killing of Nigerians by the citizens of South Africa in that country.
Report reaching us indicated that Shoprite mall, a big South African business concern situated at Osapa in Lekki area of Lagos was the target of destruction today, September 3, by unidentified Nigerians.
It was not however clear the extent of the destruction and whether anyone was hurt in the reprisal attack.
Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has described the resumption of attacks and killing of Nigerians by South Africans as absolutely and unconscionable.
Answering reporters’ questions in Kano, today, September 3 said that the recent attacks are condemnable.
“It is very sad and very unfortunate that the lives and livelihoods of Nigerians living in South Africa are once again being destroyed with such wantonness and with such carelessness and recklessness. “It is unfortunate because Nigeria and Nigerians invested a great deal in the pulling down of apartheid. Besides, these acts of bigotry are entirely contrary to the very ideals that all the great South African leaders, including the present President fought for, and for which many gave their lives. “Mr President has already spoken about this; and obviously we are very concerned and certainly intend to take this up with the authorities in South Africa in order to ensure that this sort of thing does not repeat itself. This is absolutely unacceptable and unconscionable.”
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The South African communications giant in Nigeria, MTN has closed down its offices in the country following reprisal attacks by Nigerians as South Africans continued to attack and kill Nigerians in that country.
The Presidency has announced the postponement of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting two weeks after the ministers for the second term of Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency were sworn-in.
The Kwara State House of Assembly has called on the state Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq to revoke a land, popularly known as Ïle Arugbo” and declare as void, the acquisition, appropriation and conversion of residence of the late Dr. Olusola Saraki.
Nigerians have started reprisal attacks on South African establishment in Nigeria against the backdrop of the attacks and killing of Nigerians by the citizens of South Africa in that country.
