Chinelo Obogo
The lawmaker representing Obio/Akpor federal constituency in Rivers State, Ogundu Chinda, has urged the National Assembly to immediately reconvene and address the ongoing xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.
In a statement he released in the early hours of today (Wednesday), the lawmaker said the National Assembly needs to take a clear position on the matter and send a stern warning to the government of South Africa.
He said: “I call on the leadership of the National Assembly to reconvene immediately because our citizens are being killed and our nationhood threatened impuniously by South Africans. We must take a clear position and urge the relevant agencies of government to act. It is smacks of irresponsiveness and irresponsibility on the part of government to stay one hour and do nothing while defenceless Nigerians are gruesomely murdered in a foreign land without cause.
“Both as a nation and as individual Nigerians, we made sacrifice for the independence of South Africa from white rule. Nigeria spent her money, boycotted international events, carried the crusade against apartheid to all parts of the world at their own cost. We accommodated South African leaders, therefore, there is no justification for South Africa to show such unconscionable attitude and devilish ingratitude to Nigeria.
“As parliamentarians, we will be failing in our duty if we do not act promptly. We must call off the recess now in the overriding public interest. It’s a matter of extreme urgent public importance that we reconvene the Assembly now.”