The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, has urged Nigerians to adopt a non-violent economic boycott of South Africa in response to recurring xenophobic attacks against African migrants, including Nigerians.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday, Onyema said Nigerians should stop investing in South Africa while encouraging their businesses to invest in Nigeria under terms determined by the Nigerian government.
“The kind of retaliation I want is for Nigerians to boycott South Africa. Don’t invest in that country. If they want to invest in our country, let them bring their money and invest, and you determine how they take the money back. That is non-violence action,” he said.
The Air Peace boss accused South African authorities of failing to adequately protect foreign nationals during periods of unrest.
“I totally agree that there should be a stop to foolishness. Every time they do this, and they get the support of their government. I don’t understand how all of a sudden South Africa lacked police force, lacked the military, lacked every security agency that could have stopped these people.
“How do you explain where people will march into somebody’s house, bring you out, questioning you, ‘Can I see your papers? You are a foreigner. You have to go back home,’” he asked.
According to Onyema, many Nigerian migrants contribute positively to the South African economy by establishing businesses and creating jobs.
“He brought money from Nigeria and opened a shop in your country to help your country and help you. The best you could have done is to learn from these Nigerians on how to acquire some entrepreneurial skills,” he said.
While supporting calls for stronger diplomatic action, Onyema rejected violent retaliation against South Africans or businesses operating in Nigeria.
“I support (Edo Senator) Adams Oshiomhole, who says that we should retaliate. But the kind of retaliation I want is what we are doing. Let us do non-violence retaliation. I don’t want Nigerians to go to the street and attack any South Africans,” he said.
He also opposed shutting down South African-owned companies operating in Nigeria.
“I don’t want Nigeria to close down MTN or other people’s businesses. Some Nigerians have shares in those companies. After all, those people are employing Nigerians too,” he said.
The Air Peace chairman’s remarks come amid renewed anti-foreigner protests in parts of South Africa, where demonstrators have demanded that undocumented migrants leave the country by June 30, prompting repatriation efforts by Nigeria and other affected countries.
