Xenophobia: What I discussed with S/African president —Obasanjo

FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo has applauded President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa for apologising to countries whose citizens were affected by recent xenophobic attacks in the country.

Obasanjo, in an interview on Saturday, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, said he met with the South African president some days back and got an assurance that things would be done to forestall any future occurrence.

The former president said one of his highpoints during the meeting was the need to establish a bilateral commission between Nigeria and South Africa to further strengthen their relationship, thanking God that no Nigerian was lost during the attack.

“I believe the president of South Africa did the right thing by sending emissaries to apologise to the countries affected in the recent xenophobia, countries like Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Mozambique and I think this was good.

“I took the opportunity of being in South Africa about three or four days ago to actually pay a courtesy call on President Ramaphosa, and he quickly granted me the opportunity. One of the major things we discussed is this issue of xenophobia or afrophobia.

“One good thing among many things the president told me was that there is so much at stake and whatever mistake made they would correct it. And I think that was very good statement and I know he meant it, because he immediately asked: ‘what can we do or should we do?

“Of course, one of the things they are going to do between South Africa and Nigeria is they are going to have what we established during my term called bilateral commission. They have raised it during my time. It was at the second echelon level of vice-president, deputy president.

“But now, they have raised it to the president level and I understand that our own president will be there within the first week of October. I think that is good because they can iron out the issues that must not be left tackled,” he said.

Obasanjo said he had a discussion with Nigeria’s Consul-General to South Africa, Godwin Adama, during his visit, adding that the issue on how to compensate those who lost their valuables in the course of the attacks was raised.

He advised the South African government to deal with any foreigner found guilty of violating the laws of the land by investigating such fellow and dispensing justice accordingly,

“The idea of thinking or saying that foreigners are taking their jobs and that the foreigners should be killed cannot be accepted because most of these foreigners pay something into the South African economy.

“I met more than two Nigerians who are doing legitimate business and the turnover ran into millions of dollars and they employed 50 to 60 South Africans. All these must be expressed and must be shown that Nigerians in South Africa are not drug peddler, criminals.

“There are many of them that are genuine businessmen and professionals and who are making meaningful contribution to the economy and the social life of that country,” he said.