News

It’s Time To Change ‘Africa As Centrepiece’ Foreign Policy – Rep

Published

5 years ago

Sep 5, 2019.

– Presidency has been urged by a member of house of Representatives to abandon long-held ‘Africa as centrepiece’ foreign policy of Nigeria

– Nwawuba who was a member of the Femi Gbajabiamila-led committee which was mandated by the House to visit the South-African parliament in 2017

– He criticised the lack of political will on the part of the South African government to deal with those who attack and kill foreign national

Deputy chairman House of Representatives Committee on Niger-Delta, Hon. Henry Nwawuba, advised the Federal Government to jettison the long-held ‘Africa as centrepiece’ foreign policy of Nigeria.

Nwawuba who was a member of the Femi Gbajabiamila-led committee which was mandated by the House to visit the South-African parliament in 2017, following xenophobic attacks that year, gave the advice in a statement he personally signed and made available to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, September 5.

The lawmaker described the latest round of attacks as barbaric and wicked and called on President Muhammad Buhari to adopt the diplomatic reciprocity deployed by the U.S in recent times in response to the latest attacks against Nigerians.

He criticised the lack of political will on the part of the South African government to deal with those who attack and kill foreign national as well as destroy their property. Nwawuba, who represents Mbaitoli/Ikeduru/ Federal Constituency of Imo State in the House also challenged the South African government to order an independent investigation into violent attacks against foreigners, as this is a sure way of finding immediate and lasting solutions to the ugly culture.

The statement read in part: “Suffice to say that the sequential and unmitigated attacks against Nigerians in South Africa, clearly exposes the lack of political will of the South African government to nib the killings in the bud.

“Otherwise, it won’t be wrong to assume that the South African political class, and her security architecture, are tacitly inclined to the belief of some of the irate South African citizens who see Nigerians as potential threats, thereby, building up xenophobic emotions against them.

“Let me use this singular time to once again call for an independent investigation of the remote and immediate causes of this repeated attacks against Nigerians, So as to identify its motivations and lasting solutions.

“May I also remind the government and people of South Africa, the big brother role Nigeria played in dismantling all apartheid structures which hitherto placed South Africans in this same precarious situation they have chosen to put their erstwhile benefactor, Nigeria.

PAY ATTENTION: Like our Facebook page to stay connected to us

“It is my view that this development affords the government of Nigeria another opportunity to look into her Foreign Policy Objective, and see if it can possibly be reviewed to meet the contemporary needs, challenges and aspirations of Nigerians, and the Nigeria State, viz-a-viz her national and international relationships.

At times like this, Nigeria should see the need to remodel her Foreign Policy Objective which hitherto was hinged on “Africa As The Center Piece”, and begin to look the way of “Diplomatic Reciprocity” just as the US recently did”.

Advertise or Publish a Story on EkoHot Blog:

Kindly contact us at [email protected]. Breaking stories should be sent to the above email and substantiated with pictorial evidence.

Citizen journalists will receive a token as data incentive.

Call or Whatsapp: 0803 561 7233, 0703 414 5611