Worried by the continued attacks and killings of Nigerians in South Africa, the Ijaw Youth Council has called on the Federal Government to immediately place a travel ban on Nigerians going to South Africa.
The IYC President, Mr Eric Omare, explained that such travel ban would discourage Nigerians from travelling to South Africa for any reason, describing the continued killings in the former apartheid enclave as condemnable and unacceptable.
Speaking in a telephone interview with WE4WE REPORTS on Sunday, Omare also expressed the need for a high-level diplomatic engagement between the two countries.
“South Africa is not the only country where you have Nigerians. So, there is really no basis for the attacks on Nigerians in that country. Also, the woman that was killed recently was not in South Africa because of hardship; she was simply there to attend a conference.
“In all ramifications, what the miscreants in South Africa are doing is condemnable and unacceptable. There is the need for a high-level diplomatic engagement between Nigerian and South Africa.
“Furthermore, just like the way the UK usually places travel ban on some parts of Nigeria and some countries all over the world from time to time, there is the need for Nigeria to place a travel ban on Nigerians going to South Africa.
“The Federal Government need to declare South Africa as a high risk country so that Nigerians that are going there will know from the outset that they are going to South Africa at their own risk. I think these are some of the ways which these killings of Nigerians in South African can be addressed,” Omare stressed.
Omare, however, said it was necessary to address the economic challenges facing the country, adding that most Nigerians travel abroad for economic reasons.
“We need to address our economic challenges at home. But in the interim, we must also take steps to address the challenges we are having with Nigerians going to South Africa,” he said.