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.
-Thisday
