The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, the apex students’ governing body, has issued a four-day ultimatum to South African business interests in Nigeria to leave the country.
This is contained in a statement on Monday in Enugu, by Mr Bestman Okereafor, NANS National Executive Director, Corporate and Private Sectors Engagement.
Okereafor said that after the expiration of the ultimatum, South African business interests would face the wrath of the more than 43.1 million Nigerian students scattered over the country.
“The attention of the apex students governing body, NANS, has been drawn to continuous attacks, intimidation and subsequent chase of law-abiding, peaceful and hard-working Nigerians and other Africans from South Africa.
“As the biggest students’ body in Africa, we are giving South African business interests four days to evacuate our beloved country, Nigeria.
“The reason for this action is simple. South Africans cannot continue to oppress and chase our people from their country and expect their businesses to thrive on our soil,” he said.
NANS also said that immediately after the expiration of the ultimatum, the student body would consider picketing South African business interests, while further actions follow.
He called on the Federal Government and the African Union to take more decisive actions against South Africa for their ”inimical” acts towards other Africans.
“It is on record that Nigeria played a major role in support of South Africa during the apartheid struggle and should never be repaid with disloyalty, disrespect and global embarrassment,” he added.
It will be recalled that xenophobic attacks by South Africans on other Africans for some months had led to Nigerians being physically assaulted, embarrassed, intimidated, injured and some allegedly gruesomely murdered.
Several business interests and premises owned by Nigerians in South Africa were either completely burnt down or destroyed by rampaging South Africans during the xenophobic attack.
The perpetrators of these crimes had earlier given Nigerians and other Africans an ultimatum of June 30 to leave South Africa.
But the federal government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had in recent weeks airlifted hundreds of Nigerians from South Africa back to Nigeria.
