Nigerians
have nothing to gain by being lured into the xenophobia. While the student
group's intentions may be noble, it probably has not considered the thousands
of Nigerians employed by MTN, Shoprite, MultiChoice, and the many other South
African companies that are household names in Nigeria.
Forcing
these businesses to leave, or crippling their operations, would only worsen
Nigeria's already grim unemployment statistics and the loss of the valuable
services they provide would leave a vacuum.
"Please,
be patient," Mrs Dabiri-Erewa told students wanting to drive out South
African firms, encouraging them instead to exercise restraint while awaiting
the outcome of diplomatic intervention.
According
to Nigeria's government, the leaders of the two countries are scheduled to meet
in October in South Africa.
Nigeria's
President Muhammadu Buhari and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa
will discuss, among others, "issues relating to the wellbeing of
citizens", the government says.
Nigerians
have responded to the news with great hope - that President Buhari will use the
opportunity to demand tangible measures from South Africa to deter its citizens
from attacking Nigerians at will.
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