The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has strongly condemned the prolonged violent xenophobic attacks specifically targeting Nigerians and Africans of other countries living and doing their businesses in South Africa.

“We have watched, just like millions of other Nigerians, videos and photographic evidence detailing graphic and gory treatments and violence meted out and are being unleashed on Nigerians and other Africans that are resident in South Africa who are not from South Africa.

“We are amazed, shocked, disappointed that the President of Nigeria and the government of Nigeria have watched helplessly as our citizens are being butchered in their hundreds in South Africa by black South Africans and government has so far refused to adopt and implement a stringent diplomatic blockade and measures against the South Africa business concerns in Nigeria. It is unfortunate. It is not enough to say Nigeria will take decisive action. We want those actions announced and implemented immediately,” HURIWA said on Monday in a statement in Abuja signed by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko.

“Nigerians should take their future in their hands. We are calling on Nigerians to make up their minds and prepare within the next 78hrs to boycott DSTV Multi-Choice, Nigerians should even boycott the Big Brother Naija that is going on in South Africa. We are of the opinion that even the participants in Bbnaija should walk out of the Bbnaija immediately.

“Nigerians should stop paying South Africa businesses. Those who have MTN lines should cut it off and go for other lines, Nigerians should protest in South Africa embassy and South Africa business premises all over the country.

“We must take these measures and we must start doing that without any further waste of time because the government has not done anything to stop the South Africans from killing Nigerians and these killings are still going on and everybody is just cool about it. Apart from the National Association of Nigerians Students (NANS) that have taken action, unusually you don't expect that from a group of such to be the one that will champion this advocacy. But NANS has demonstrated patriotism by protesting in front of South African business premises within Nigeria.

“We have to go a step further by boycotting any business that have to do with South Africa.

“The Nigerian government should be put under intense pressure to cut off diplomatic relationships with South Africa, Nigeria government, Nigeria Airport authority should impose sanction to ban Nigerians from traveling to South Africa. We should cut off any diplomatic relationship with South Africa.

“The South African xenophobic violence has demonstrated that even the South African government is guilty by association. For the fact that the South African government has been unable to arrest these unfortunate scenarios of killings of Nigerians and other Africans shows that the South Africa government is actively in support of the killings because a government that is not in support of mass killings of other people’s/country’s citizens Should by now have taken measures to stop the widening spectre of blood cuddling violence targeted against Nigerians majorly and other black Africans who are residing in south Africa.

“There is no justification for the xenophobic attacks against other African nationals who live in South Africa. South Africans do not have any right to use the excuse that certain Nigerians or some other Africans like Zimbabweans or other Africans who are in SA perpetrating crimes. 100% of Nigerians living in South Africa are not criminals; the criminals amongst the Nigerian populace in SA are less than 5% of the entire population of Nigerians living in SA.

“There are so many Nigerians that are academic professors, teachers, genuine investors who have deployed their human and material resources to carry out legitimate and profit-oriented businesses to the South African economy. Most Nigerian own businesses have employed South Africans. Why are the South African citizens being allowed to kill Nigerians? And we are all watching as this Act Of genocide go on and the government of Nigeria is not concerned about the welfare and security of her citizens.”

HURIWA appealed to Nigerians to do something, adding, “we must do something, we must not say because our biological brothers and sisters are not in South Africa. There is hardly any local government in Nigeria that does not have somebody in (that country), so we are all involved in this unfortunate scenario that is happening to our people in SA. We must all speak with one voice; we must play the role of a giant of Africa. Unless we are now a giant we claim to be less. Are we really the giant of Africa? If yes we must take action, the government must show the way. We must not behave like the proverbial giant with clay legs.

“The Chairman of Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has failed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has failed, since they have been unable to check the menace of targeted assassination and mass slaughter of our citizens in different parts of South Africa. This is very unfortunate.

“And the constitution says that our foreign policy of Nigeria must be formulated and implemented to protect the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians. Any other interest that does not protect the core national interest of Nigerians is no longer part of our foreign policy objectives. So it is the objective of our foreign policy objectives of this country that the killings in SA must be confronted.”

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