David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
First Republic Aviation Minister in Nigeria, Chief Mbazulike Amechi has roundly condemned recent South Africa’s attacks on Nigerians in their land.
Chief Amechi said, yesterday, he felt so bad and never believed that the people of that country would take pleasure in unleashing mayhem on Nigerians despite Nigeria’s assistance to the country in their dark days of the struggle for freedom from Apartheid regime.
He noted that the action against Nigerians in that land smacked of ingratitude on the part of South Africa whom he said would not pretend not to remember the help Nigeria rendered to them
Chief Amechi went down memory lane and narrated how he hosted former President Nelson Mandela of South Africa for six months in his home (Amechi’s home) when he was being pursued by the Apartheid regime in his country and wondered why the people of South Africa should forget so soon.
“I feel very bad about what is happening in South Africa. What has happened to Nigerians there is a mark of ingratitude on the part of South Africa. When the nationalists of South Africa under the auspices of African National Congress (ANC ) were fighting for their liberation from the Apartheid regime, Nigeria helped them through our political party, NCNC.
“Many of them came to Nigeria and were trained and later went back to their country to become ministers and all that. Our help to them was immeasurable and Nigerians in their country did not deserve that treatment. If anyone commits an offence in that country that person should be treated according to the law of that land and not to met out massive destruction of lives and property of Nigerians living there, “ he said.
He called for compensation to the victims of the Xenophobic attacks “otherwise Nigerians should go on massive picketing of South Africa’s establishments here without destroying them until compensations are paid, “ he said.
In a related development, the leadership of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has condemned the unwarranted genocidal attacks against foreign citizens residing in South Africa.