Ahead of the May 29 presidential inauguration ceremony of Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has called on the
South African President, Jacob Zuma, to stay away from the event, saying his
visit will be an insult to the sensibility of Nigerians over his poor handling
of the xenophobic violence.
According
to a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by its President, Tijani Usman,
NANS described Zuma’s inability to apologise to Nigeria like he did to
Mozambique in spite of the sacrifices the country made for South Africa as
unfortunate.
The
students’ body also threatened to besiege the airport should Zuma decide to
grace the inauguration where over 50 heads of states are expected to be in
attendance.
Usman
stated: “We wish to advise the South African President to rather stay at home
and address burning issues, rather than embarking on a visit that is the least
desirable.
“The
South African President’s failure to apologise to Nigeria for the losses the
country and her citizens incurred during the xenophobic attacks on foreigners
leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.
“There
is therefore, no point felicitating with a people who clearly do not matter
much to you. President Zuma’s visit will only amounts to pretence,” he added.
NANS
however restated its stand that it would henceforth not hesitate to clampdown
on South African investments in the country should any incidence of xenophobic
attacks re-occur.
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