African companies in Abuja and Benin City, Edo State, to protest the
ongoing xenophobic attacks on foreigners, especially Nigerians, in
South Africa.
In Abuja, the protesters, led by media personality and President of
the Berekete Family, Ahmad Isah, marched to the regional headquarters
of MTN Nigeria Communications Limited in Maitama, as well as Shoprite
and Multichoice, owners of DSTV.
At MTN, the protesters, who carried placards with various inscriptions
condemning the attacks on Nigerians and their businesses in South
Africa, were joined by Nigerians in the area where the office is
located.
A PUNCH correspondent learnt that a senior official of MTN whose
identity was not known, addressed the crowd of protesters who wore
yellow T-shirts, the traditional colour of the South African
telecommunications company.
The official reportedly told the protesters that the company was not
in support of the attacks on Nigerians and other Africans in South
Africa.
He also told them that the MTN operation in the country was MTN
Nigeria and that the company only has a few South Africans working in
the country.
When our correspondent visited the Maitama office of the company,
policemen in a patrol vehicle were seen stationed just across the
telecommunication firm's office to forestall possible breakdown of the
peace.
In Benin City, some youth protesters stormed the MTN office on 3rd
East Circular Road, Muritala Muhammed Way.
The youths, under the aegis of The Flagship, threatened to shut down
South African firms operating in Nigeria over the attack on Nigerians
in South Africa.
The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions.
The messages in the placards include, "Xenophobia is inhuman," "Zuma
call your boys to order" and "S/Africans can't be making money from
us, killing us."
Spokesperson for the group, Austin Enabulele, described the attacks as
inhuman and condemnable, explaining that the protest was a warning to
the South African government to put a stop to the attacks on Nigerians
or risk losing its investments in the country.
Enabulele said, "We are all Africans; we wonder why they should attack
our fellow Nigerians who are doing their legitimate businesses in
South Africa, when we have shown them love to operate in Nigeria.
"We have come here to say to (President Jacob) Zuma to call his people
to order because if he fails to call them to order we will do the
needful. We are aware of all their businesses in Nigeria; we know of
MTN, we know of Shoprite, we know of Multichoice company, and we know
of all the other companies that belong to South Africa.
"We will shut down all their services, if they continue the killing of
our brothers and sisters. So, we have come here to tell them to put an
end to the killing of our brothers and sisters who are doing their
legitimate jobs in South Africa."
The vice president of the group, Gloria Noren, decried what she
described as the ingratitude of South Africans, whom she said received
financial support from Nigeria during the apartheid era.
Noren urged the Federal Government to commence the immediate
evacuation of Nigerians from South Africa, in order to forestall
further havoc.
She said, "We have videos of Nigerians that have been killed; I
personally watched the video. How can someone come out to say that we
are taking their jobs from them? What about the money they are making
from us?
"Nigeria spent over N60bn fighting apartheid for them. Why should we
extend love to them and they extend hatred to us. It is totally
inhuman, distasteful and disgusting.
"We are sending this message to our Nigerian government to go ahead
and evacuate all Nigerians from South Africa because we cannot
continue to lose our brethren."
The Nigerian Consul-General in South Africa, Amb. Uche Ajulu-Okeke,
had on Sunday said that Nigerians had lost more than N21m to the
attacks in South Africa.
Ajulu-Okeke said the loss included looted shops, burnt shops, two
burnt mechanic workshops, 11 burnt cars and two stolen cars, among
others.
"Nigerians have compiled the cost of the damage to their property and
it is totalling about 1.2m Rand or N21m, which will be sent to the
Federal Government for further action," the ambassador had said.
She said that two of the three Nigerians who were wounded during the
attacks in Durban had been treated and discharged from the hospital.
The consul-general said that she would go back to Durban to assess the
situation on ground and meet with the provincial authority on the
security of Nigerians in the province.
--PUNCH
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