House of Reps team to visit South Africa parliament

chika ebuzor

March 7, 2017 5:58 PM

The delegation said it was unaware of the death of any Nigerian in the recent xenophobic attacks.

Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara

The House of Representatives on Tuesday constituted a six-member delegation to visit South Africa and interface with its parliament over the Xenophobic attacks on Nigerians.

The assignment, according to the resolution of the members is fact-finding to know the actual cause of the attacks.

Briefing newsmen in Abuja at the end of plenary, Leader of the delegation, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, assured that the visit would provide lasting solutions to the recurring attacks.

“The visit will also provide opportunities to meet Nigerians in South Africa and assure them of government’s commitment in safeguarding their lives and property, among others’’, he said.

Also speaking, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Rep. Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje, explained that the committee had engaged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which also condemned the xenophobic attack.

Elendu-Ukeje, who is also a member of the delegation, said it was constitutional to engage the South African parliament in order to resolve the issue.

Explaining further on the visit, the lawmaker said “we will be looking at pieces of legislation that say to them that they must resist structural racism, Xenophobia."

“We will be reminding them that they are signatories to the United Nations treaties against Xenophobia and racism.

“If the mission fails, we will remind them of their companies in Nigeria,” she said.

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The delegation said it was unaware of the death of any Nigerian in the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

It, however, acknowledged that Nigerians in that country lost property worth over N84 million.

chika ebuzor