A Non-Governmental organization African Diaspora Coalition For Unity and Progress (ADCUP) has condemned the action of the South African Government that disallowed several willing Nigerian returnees from South Africa from boarding the Air Peace flight sent to the former apartheid enclave from returning home.
This was contained in a press release signed by the Executive Secretary of the organization ,Chris Kehinde Nwandu in Lagos.
According to ADCUP ,the South African government has by its action contravened the objectives of the African Union and African Protocols on the movement of people.
To it, it is saddening enough that the South African government has closed its eyes to the continued attacks of Africans by its citizens in the past few months which has led to the death of several fellow black brothers and sisters in what has been described as the most vicious xenophobic attacks in modern history.
Said Nwandu “Disallowing willing Nigerians from leaving their country on the flimsy excuse of not having relevant papers is adding more salt to an already bruised injury”.
The organization therefore enjoined South African authorities to allow all Nigerians still held up in the country to come home without any inhibition.
It commended the efforts of the Nigerian Government, management of Air Peace, Nigerian Embassy in South Africa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nigerian Diaspora Commission towards making sure that Nigerians in South Africa did not get stranded.
It will be recalled that only 188 out of over 300 Nigerians initially scheduled to be in the first batch of returnees were allowed by the South African Government to board the Air Peace flight to Lagos.
Packaged by Mayowa Owogbade
