AFRICAN UNION NEEDS TO URGENTLY ADDRESS XENOPHOBIC ATTACKS, SAYS BISHOP CHUKWUMA
“Again, it is very unfortunate that most of the people affected in the xenophobic attacks are the Igbo of Nigeria, and that is where it is of much concern to us. We thank the federal government for their concern and interventions into the matter so far’
‘But notwithstanding, time has come for the federal government to answer the question as to why there is mass exodus of Nigerians to other countries, where they end up being treated badly”, the clergyman stated.
The Archbishop believes that if Nigeria was comfortable and conducive, that her citizens would not have been fleeing the country, in droves, adding, “If we are concerned about South Africans killing Nigerians, how about Herdsmen killing Nigerians in Nigeria?
‘So, we need to look inwards and ask ourselves, are we even safe in Nigeria? How about bandits, Boko Haram and others criminals that are recklessly killing fellow citizens across the country without the government taking decisive action?”
Penpushing further reports that, Chukwuma maintained that if there were availability of jobs and people’s lives were secured, that Nigerian citizens would not flee the country in such embarrassing manner.
“When a country is not safe for people to live in and it is not conducive for people to do business and earn a living, naturally, they would look for alternatives elsewhere. How many South Africans are in Nigeria?”
The Cleric alleged that the South Africans may be emulating the alleged, nonchalant or non-proactive attitude of the federal government back home, noting, “so many lives have been lost since the advent of Buhari’s government, like never before’.
‘But, what has he done decisively about it? So, because of what we are doing to ourselves here, foreigners no longer have regard for our lives outside. Many people have been wasted in this country and many properties have been destroyed without anyone caring to address the issues adequately or even paying any compensation to the victims’.
“We have exposed ourselves to more danger by not respecting life in this country such that cows are now more important than human lives in Nigeria”.
Penpushing also reports that, the Bishop while reacting to the failure of the federal government to officially cancel the proposed controversial Rural Grazing Areas project, noted that, “they are talking about RUGA, and I tell you that if the money that the federal government has earmarked for the RUGA project is used to establish businesses for our citizens that are trapped in South Africa and other nations, that would be more reasonable because many of them would gladly return home.
“Citizens are not safe in Nigeria; people are being treated as useless individuals here and that is why we are now being treated as such outside. If President Buhari and his men had been valuing life more than cows in this country, South Africans would not have had the gut to be killing our people in that country’.
“Have we not been complaining that we are being killed in this country? Have we not been complaining that Fulani herdsmen, bandits and what have you have been kidnapping people, killing people and raping our women repeatedly? What has the authorities done about that?”
The Anglican leader however, advised Nigerians to desist from showcasing affluence recklessly wherever they reside across the world so as to avoid attracting envy and xenophobic attacks upon themselves from citizens of their host countries.
