ABUJA – THE Majority leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila has been mandated Wednesday by the leadership of the House to lead a delegation of some members to South Africa over the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians living in South Africa.
The House in a resolution on Tuesday at the plenary presided by the Deputy Speaker, Yussuff Lasun said the majority leader will be joined by the Chairman House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Nnena Okeje, Rep. Sadiq Ibrahim, Henry Nwawuba, Nasiru Zango Daura, and Shehu Aliyu Musa.
Xenophobic Attack
The House also resolved that the delegation of legislators and officials from the ministry of foreign affairs should engage the parliament of South Africa and Nigerians in South Africa on the xenophobic attacks with a few to stopping the attacks and any further occurrence in future.
Recall that the Chairman, House Committee on Diaspora Matters, Rep Rita Orji had recently condemned the alleged lackadaisical attitude of the Federal Government towards the protection of Nigerians outside the country saying that the government paid more interest in remittance from citizens abroad and not their welfare.
Orji said she was not going to be part of the “conspiracy of silence”, adding that Nigerians in Diaspora were only dear to the government of Nigeria because of the funds they remit to the country.
She also accused the government of over-protecting the businesses and interests of South Africa to the detriment of Nigeria. The government, she said, is not “taking a critical look at what Nigerians in Diaspora face in the countries that they are.
She said, “Have we taken any bold steps to make sure that incessant killings of Nigerians abroad unlawfully are being taken care of? These are pertinent questions that any Nigerian that loves life would ask. And why would this conspiracy of silence linger while blood is being shed, while Nigerians are being killed like chicken in various countries, while Nigerians are becoming endangered species.
“Must we protect the foreign interest to the detriment of Nigerians. Now NCC is hellbent on reviewing upwards the price of data and voice calls in Nigeria to the detriment of Nigerians, even with the intervention of National Assembly, NCC is bent on doing that on their own, just to protect the interest of the foreigners.
“The South African Government should bear in mind that Nigerians know that they have interests, they have businesses here, they have South Africans here, they should not put their people in jeopardy.”

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