The Presidency has revealed why
President Muhammadu Buhari was against retaliation in the heat of the
xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.
The Presidency said the President
thought engagement was a better option.
Garba Shehu, the Buhari’s Senior
Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, stated in a statement in Abuja,
adding that Buhari chose to act wisely instead of taking rash steps.
“When some countries in the
sub-region recalled their ambassadors and threatened to cut ties with South
Africa following the xenophobic attacks, Nigeria under President Buhari, chose
to act wisely by not taking rash actions,” Shehu said.
“There were doubts in many
quarters on the continent, if the South African state understood early enough,
the magnitude of the consequences of attacks on their own nation, and Africa as
a whole.
“So for President Buhari, the
approach was one of engagement, to assist the government and people of that
country to overcome their problem, which by now had become our own, and
Africa’s challenge.
“President Buhari set the right
tone by sending a Special Envoy, Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, the Director General of
the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), to obtain first hand facts concerning
the condition of Nigerians and to sensitize the South African leadership on the
concerns of Nigeria and of the continent as well the implications of the
attacks.
“After receiving a brief from the
envoy, the President decided to proceed with an earlier planned visit, rather
than abort it as some had suggested.”
Buhari’s visit to South Africa,
he said, was an opportunity to put Nigeria/South Africa relations on a fast
track.
“That if the two largest
economies can come closer and work together, they can help one another, and the
continent at large to overcome the many problems confronting them. Where there
is development, prosperity and jobs among Africans, the backward habits as
embarrassingly witnessed in South Africa and reprisal attacks, including
Nigeria, would have been avoided.
“President Buhari did not,
therefore, see “an eye for an eye” or a tit-for-tat as a solution.(†In
appreciation of this approach, many in African leadership, including the
African Union have sent messages to the President, thanking him for his
enlightened leadership and wisdom in dealing with the matter, and in particular
for speaking for Africa.
“Arising from their discussions,
both leaders condemned xenophobic violence and the reprisals. A solution to the
typical violence, in their various pronouncements, lies in poverty eradication,
jobs creation, crime prevention, observance of rule of law and lawful
migration.
“The two Presidents directed
their Foreign Affairs Ministers to give practical expression to the Early
Warning Mechanism for prevention and monitoring platform.
“Closely linked to this is the
issue of the large number of Nigerians incarcerated in South African prisons,
their number still undetermined, and lack of communication from the authorities
regarding the process and the status of these arrests.”
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