The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr Musiliu Obanikoro, has assured Nigerians in South Africa that all will be done to restore peace and safety of their lives and property in the country.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Obanikoro said there is ongoing cooperation with South African authorities to keep the situation under control.
The Minister, however, addressed the social challenges that are underlying causes to the xenophobic attacks such as poverty and ignorance.
It is sad that Africans can exert such inhumanity against themselves at this time when growth is needed most in the continent, he said.
Obanikoro also commended the group of South Africans that protested against the attacks. He said that more of such interventions are needed to reduce and eventually eliminate such xenophobic tendencies.
South Africa’s Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba and the Premier of Kwazulu Natal, Senzo Mchunu, have held a town-hall meeting with members of various communities as part of efforts to resolve the crisis.
A high crime rate and a lack of jobs, among other things, have been blamed on foreigners by some indigenes. A recent statement by the Zulu King, Goodwill Zwelinthini, on too many foreigners in the country has not helped. The king has since said he was quoted out of context.
