Lawmakers of Nigeria’s lower chamber of parliament, the House of Peoples Representatives, on Thursday gave a stern statement on xenophobic violence in South Africa.
Led by leader Femi Gbajabiamila, the MPs stressed the importance of protecting all citizens wherever they find themselves as much as Nigeria welcomes and respects the rights of others within its jurisdiction.
Among the major issues that he raised were as follows:
Demand that the federal government continues efforts to secure the interest of citizens
That the South African government fully probes the recent xenophobic incidents
That Nigerians must desist from all acts of reprisals as it affects fellow citizens most
Efforts to seek justice for persons affected and push for reparations
That federal government works towards tackling the country’s internal security issues
South Africa has temporarily closed its diplomatic missions in Nigeria following reprisal attacks by Nigerians triggered by xenophobic violence in South Africa.
Between Sunday and Wednesday, mobs looted and destroyed shops, many of them foreign-owned, in South Africa's commercial hub, Johannesburg.
Nigeria's government has been outspoken in its condemnation of the violence.
Police say the unrest has subsided and more than 420 arrests have been made.
South Africa's Foreign Minister, Naledi Pandor, called the violence an embarrassment for her country.
"Our government regrets all violence against foreign-owned stores or Africans from other countries who are resident in South Africa," she was quoted as saying by national broadcaster SABC.
She ordered the closure of the country's high commission in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, and its mission in Lagos, following threats made to the diplomatic staff.
Have any Nigerians been killed?
Videos and images that have been shared on social media purporting to show Nigerians being attacked and killed have inflamed tensions.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, South African-owned businesses were targeted by protesters in several Nigerian cities, and the looters said the attacks were reprisals for the killing of Nigerians in South Africa. South African telecoms giant MTN closed its shops as a precaution.
In response to the violence in Johannesburg, two of Nigeria's top musicians, Burna Boy And Tiwa Savage, announced they were boycotting South Africa.
At least 10 people have been killed in the trouble in South Africa, including two foreign nationals, the South African government says, but none of the victims have been identified as Nigerian.
On Wednesday, Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama told journalists: "There are a lot of stories going around of Nigerians being killed, jumping off buildings and being burnt. This is not the case."
While the government believes Nigerian businesses have been targeted in South Africa, he added, it has no evidence that Nigerians have died.
Mr Onyeama also urged people to stop attacking South African businesses in Nigeria, saying that President Muhammadu Buhari was "particularly distraught at the acts of vandalism".
Why has the Nigerian government been so outspoken?
Despite disputing the accounts of Nigerians dying in South Africa, the Nigerian government has been forceful in its condemnation of events there.
On Wednesday, it announced it was boycotting the World Economic Forum on Africa that is currently taking place in Cape Town in protest at the violence.
"The government believes that we have to take the moral high ground on this matter," Mr Onyeama said.
The president has also sent an envoy to South Africa to "express Nigeria's displeasure over the treatment of her citizens".
Nigerians often criticise the authorities for being slow to respond to domestic crises and the government is keen to be seen to be taking action over attacks in South Africa, said the BBC's Nigeria correspondent, Mayeni Jones.
What about reaction elsewhere in Africa?
On Thursday, demonstrators in the Democratic Republic of Congo's second city, Lubumbashi, broke the windows of South Africa's consulate, AFP news agency reports.
There was also a small demonstration outside the South African embassy in the capital, Kinshasa.
Air Tanzania, the country's national carrier, has suspended flights to Johannesburg because of the violence, Transport Minister Isack Kamwelwe said.
Madagascar's football federation has announced that it will not be sending a team to play South Africa in a friendly on Saturday because of security concerns.
The fixture against Madagascar was announced after Zambia pulled out of the match earlier this week over the xenophobic violence.
On Wednesday, students in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, forced the closure of several South African-owned shopping malls.
A group also marched on the South African high commission in the city and defaced the sign outside the compound.
Image copyrightREUTERS
"We are tired of being beaten every day. We're all Africa. Why must we be afraid to go to South Africa?... We want the ambassador to address us," one protester told Reuters news agency.
On Tuesday, the African Union (AU) issued a statement condemning the "despicable acts" of violence in South Africa "in the strongest terms".
What sparked the looting in South Africa?
The attacks on foreign-owned shops began after South African lorry drivers started a nationwide strike to protest against the employment of foreign drivers. They blocked roads and torched foreign-driven vehicles mainly in the coastal KwaZulu-Natal province.
It comes at a time of high unemployment and some South Africans blame foreigners for taking their jobs.
The unemployment rate in South Africa is nearly 28%, the highest since the labour force survey was introduced 11 years ago.
The government minister responsible for small business development told BBC Newsday the rioters "feel there are other Africans coming into the country and they feel these Africans are taking our jobs".
Lindiwe Zulu said the problems were caused by the movement of people across Africa.
"We are facing a challenge that is beyond South Africa as a country. This is an African problem," she said.
Some foreigners are also accused of being involved in pushing illegal drugs.
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The Trade Union Congress says it will issue an ultimatum to the President Muhammadu Buhari government to implement the N30,000 minimum wage or be faced with strike action.
“The implementation of the new minimum wage of N30,000 should have been done a long time ago since President Muhammadu Buhari signed it on April 18, 2019, but the government is dragging its feet over the matter needlessly. With the way things are, it seems the government is not interested in its implementation.
“We are going to issue an ultimatum to the federal government soon. We want the negotiation to resume before going ahead. However, if there is no solution to the problem of implementation in the next two weeks, we will issue the ultimatum. We have started mobilizing our members already,” the TUC President, Quadri Olaleye, said.
He added, “The position of the NJNC to call on workers to go on strike is supported by the TUC. But we want to give the government an opportunity to do something about it before taking action over the non-implementation of the new minimum wage.
“We reject the government proposal’s of 9.5 percent salary raise for employees on Grade Levels 07 to 14 and five percent for those on Grade Levels 15 to 17. We have come down from about 66 percent raise but we cannot agree on what the government is pushing to us. The government should expect our action at any time if nothing is done.”
This was stated in an interview with PUNCH.
Olaleye explained, “We have made a presentation to the federal government on this issue but it seems that the government is not ready to yield to the expectation of Nigerian workers.”
Alcatraz has been known as the most menacing prison on the face of the earth. It’s secluded on an island and nearly impossible to escape. Or, at least that’s what they said.
That was until one day in June of 1962. A group of three men dared to do the impossible and their fate still remains unknown. Did they drown? Did they escape and create new lives for themselves under a different alias? Let’s take a deeper look.
Why This Is Being Talked About
This was a cold case for decades. No one really knew where the three men who escaped in 1962 really went. Police hadn’t heard anything.
That is until the San Francisco police received a letter claiming the be John Anglin, one of the guys who escaped, in early January, 2018.
What The Letter Contained
The letter, if legitimate, could explain exactly what happened that June day. It could put to rest all of the conspiracy theories that have followed this case since 1962.
The letter itself was written in 2013, but kept under wraps by police to verify its authenticity until 2018. That was when the FBI decided to re-open the case.
What Makes The Story So Compelling?
This story is truly incredible. Alcatraz was regarded as the toughest prison on the planet and housed some of the worst criminals.
It was a maximum security prison that never had a prisoner escape. There were many attempts. Some were caught, others were found dead in the water after trying to swim across the bay.
How They Were Going To Do It
In theory, the plan was fairly simple. Actually, it was really simple. But, it would require the coordination of many people, which in Alcatraz would be nearly impossible.
Like I mentioned, many have tried to escape before and none of them were successful. So, what was going to make these guys different?
Let’s Meet The Inmates
The members of the group were brothers John and Clarence Anglin, Frank Lee Morris, and Allen West.
The four men all had cells near each other and spent much of their time devising this plan. This plan would take all of the courage they could muster up, and any resources they could get their hands on.
Frank Lee Morris
Morris was a troublemaker who was no stranger to crime and prison. He was convicted at the age of 13 for his first crime.
Little did he know, he was destined for greatness. Just not the greatness most people want beside their name. He’d go down as the mastermind behind this Great Escape.
He’s Been There Before
As an adult, Morris served prison time in many different states for many different crimes. He had previously escaped from a prison in Louisiana that was dubbed the “Alcatraz of the South”.
He was caught a year after escaping for trying to rob a bank. After that capture he was sent to Alcatraz.
The Bros
Morris would not be able to do this by himself. He needed some help. That help came in the form of two brothers named John and Clarence Anglin.
The brothers would spend a lot of their childhood swimming in Lake Michigan. It didn’t seem like an important point at the time, but it would help them in their escape.
The President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan on Wednesday appealed to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)to shelve its proposed industrial action over alleged delay in implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage.
Lawan made the appeal when the executives of the NLC and the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, (PASAN) led by Mr Ayuba Waba and Sunday Sabiyi paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.
Lawan called for further understanding and patriotism, adding that some states had started paying the agreed minimum wage.
“We should not encourage personal issue to overshadow our collective responsibility to nation building.
“We will journey with you to ensure absolute implementation of the minimum wage by the Federal government.” Lawan pleaded.
He also assured PASAN to collaborate with the management and leadership of the National Assembly, urging it to present issue-based arguments, instead on engaging strike action to press home its demands.
He also said the ninth assembly would not be detracted, but remained focused in pursing growth in every sector of the country.
The NLC President later presented a congratulatory card to Lawan on his emergence as the Chairman of the National Assembly.
He also pledged the commitment and collaboration of the labour unions to the legislators.
Earlier, the Chairman, PASAN, Sunday Sabiyi congratulated Lawan on what he described an impressive emergence as the President of the Senate.
He urged him to put into use , his wealth of experience as a ranking senator to the service and protection of the interests of Nigerians.
Sabiyi used the occasion to present the demands of the parliamentary staff in National Assembly.
He listed the demands to include implementation of 2018 arrears of 28 per cent and balance of 50 per cent consolidated Legislative salary, implementation of condition of service, recently approved by the eight National Assembly, training of staff, health insurance and life insurance premium.
