The immediate past Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama has explained why Nigerians living in South Africa are constantly being attacked in the country.

Onyeama attributed the cause of the xenophobic attacks to trust deficit between the South African police and Nigerians.

Recall that Nigerian nationals living in the country are constantly being attacked by South African police and citizens. The number of Nigerians who have been killed in South Africa xenophobic attacks has reportedly risen to 127 in three and a half years.

Addressing Senators on Tuesday during his screening as a ministerial nominee, Onyeama said

“On the issue of xenophobia which is a very topical issue for us here in this country, in particular with regards to South Africa

“I went personally to South Africa, I met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian union as well to the Nigerian High Commission in the country and I also visited some of the places that were burnt.

“What I saw immediately was that there was a trust deficit between the South African police and Nigerians and the Nigerian union over there also explained to me that it was a big challenge.”

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To solve the problem, Onyeama said as Minister then, he proposed to the South African authorities to set up an early warning mechanism which will help in confidence-building.

“The idea is to build confidence and to ensure Nigerians in South Africa can talk directly with the highest level of government in South Africa, including the police so as to address this issue,” he said.

The former minister also recommended a hotline connecting Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and the South African Minister of Foreign Affairs for prompt communication during emergency situations.

 

 

 

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