Foreign News
Xenophobia:We’ve no Problem with Governors Participating in WEF- FG
- Vows to Get Compensation for Xenophobic Victims
By Mathew Dadiya, Abuja
Federal Government Thursday said that it was not bothered by the attendance of some Nugerian State governors at the World Economic Forum (WEF) taking place in Cape Town, South Africa after the country withdrew its participation
due to the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other foreign nationals.
Speaking State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama said that Nigerian government would do everything possible to secure compensation for all her citizens affected by the xenophobic attacks in the former apartheid country.
Some of the governors who attended the WEF from Nigeria were Ekiti and Kaduna as well as some members of the business class.
The Federal Government also denied knowledge of the temporary closure of South African High Commission in Nigeria.
The South African Foreign Affairs Minister, Naledi Pandor was reported to have said that the government had temporarily closed its embassy in Nigeria.
She also said South Africa was in constant touch with Nigerian authorities to try to restore calm, adding that there was no provision in local law for compensation for damage caused in the attacks.
But Onyeama said, “We are not aware that the South African government has closed down its High Commission here in Abuja or its consulate in Lagos.”
Fielding question from journalists on whether the participation of some Nigerians including the governors was not an affront on the position of the Federal Government, the Minister of Foreign Affairs explained that the governors may have arrived South Africa before the decision was taken.
Besides, he said that the WEF was not a South African event, rather a global forum but taking place in South Africa.
”The World Economic Forum process has started a number of days ago and the governors who are there had gone there ahead even before this whole issue materialized, they were already engaged in that.
“The first thing you have to realize is that the World Economic Forum is not a South African government initiative. It is a Swiss based mechanism and it takes place in different places
“It is not a question of disobedience because they were actually there already before this decision was taken.”
On the alleged withdrawal of Nigerian High Commissioner in South Africa, Onyeama said, “Yesterday (Wednesday) I did make the comment that we have not taken a decision to withdraw or recall our High Commissioner in South Africa, what I pointed out yesterday is this, Mr. President has sent Special Envoy to South Africa.
“So we are going to wait for the report of the Special Envoy when he comes back in about two days time. And on that basis after we have received the report, it is likely that we must supplement that report by also calling the High Commissioner back for consultation so that Mr. President will be able to get as comprehensive and full a picture of the situation in South Africa.
“So, the High Commissioner will be coming after the Special Envoy has returned for consultations and then once the President has full briefing from all the actors directly engaged, we will be able to make an informed decision on what further steps to take.”
Asked if South African government had reacted to the position taken by Nigeria, he said, “Regarding reaction from South Africa after it was decided that the Vice President should no longer participate in the World Economic Forum meeting there, we have not received any direct reaction.
“But of course that is to be expected since we informed the South African authorities that the Special Envoy of Mr. President is coming to his country.”
On compensation, which the South African Foreign Affairs Minister, Naledi Pandor had said that the country had no provision for such in its laws, the Minister said Nigeria government would do everything possible to ensure that the victims were compensated.
He said,”Our citizens there have suffered lost and it is the responsibility of this government to ensure that they are compensated and we will take measures necessary and do whatever we have to do to ensure that they are compensated.
“I haven’t seen the statement from South African yet, when we see it, we have to look at and study it and we will decide what further measures we need to take.”
Also answering question on the closure of the South African mission offices in Nigeria, Onyeama said that the Federal Government was not aware of such.
Israel’s Army Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi has referred to October 7, 2023, as the day “when we failed in our mission to protect the citizens of the State of Israel.”
In a letter to Israeli soldiers marking the anniversary of the brutal attack on Israel, he wrote that “Oct.
7 is not only a day of remembrance, but also a call for deep introspection” and “a recognition of our failures and a commitment to learning from them. ”On October 7, 2023, terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and abducted about 250 more as hostages to the Gaza Strip.
This triggered the Gaza war, in which, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority, some 42,000 Palestinians have been killed so far, mostly civilians.
Halevi said that Hamas’ military wing had been defeated, but that the fight against the organisation’s terrorist structures would continue.
With regard to the fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon, he said that the militia had been dealt a serious blow.
“We will not stop,” Halevi emphasised.
“We are destroying our enemies’ capabilities, and we will ensure that these capabilities are not rebuilt, so that Oct. 7 is never repeated,” he added. (dpa/NAN)
UN humanitarians on Monday condemned Russian attacks on Sumy city in the northeast of Ukraine over the weekend that damaged a hospital.
Matthias Schmale, the top UN aid official in Ukraine, said that the Russian military strikes killed and injured several people. He insisted that health centres must not be targeted.
Local officials reported that nine had been killed in the twin drone strikes on the northeastern city close to the Russian border, with 12 injured and more than 120 evacuated for their own safety.
Schmale’s comments came amid continuing violence on Monday, including a reported wave of drone attacks on Kyiv and protective air defence manoeuvres launched in response, according to the Ukraine military.
Outside the capital, media indicated explosions as Russia launched drone and guided bombs attack on Zaporizhzhia that damaged railways and buildings, while in Russia, Ukrainian armed forces reportedly shelled the Belgorod region.
Meanwhile, authorities in Algeria were on Monday urged by top independent human rights experts to reverse a prison sentence handed down to a poet for supporting widespread protests against the Government.
Djamila Bentouis received a two-year prison sentence and 100,000 Algerian dinars fine (worth around $750) for participating in the Hirak social protest movement via her songs and poetry recitals.
Initial charges levelled against Bentouis accused her of belonging to a terrorist entity.
The Hirak demonstrations began in February 2019 – initially against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika – but evolved into demands for political reforms and other freedoms.
The independent experts who include Alexandra Xanthaki, Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, said that the criminal charges against Ms. Bentouis appeared “directly linked” to her wish to exercise her right to freedom of expression.
The experts – who are not UN staff and receive no salary for their work – also expressed their hope that Algeria “will abide by its international obligations to guarantee the right to freedom of expression” when the appeals court considers the case on Wednesday. (NAN)
At least 20 people died after Hurricane Helene slammed into the south-eastern United States as a dangerous Category 4 storm, before later weakening to a tropical depression by Friday afternoon.The deaths were reported in US media across the states of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.
The governor of Georgia said at least 11 people had died in his state. Around 3 million people were without power across those states and beyond, with houses destroyed and entire communities flooded. There were fears that many people could still be trapped under collapsed and damaged buildings. Many roads across the region were not passable.The National Weather Service said Helene made landfall on the west coast of Florida as a Category 4 hurricane – the second highest category – but then began losing steam.The service had warned of “historic and catastrophic flooding,” and in some places on Friday the water was about 5 metres high. There were also threats of mudslides due to the extreme rain.Many victims were killed or injured by falling trees, while others died in their cars. In Florida, a woman drowned in her home, CNN reported.In North Carolina, authorities warned that a dam could break and urged nearby residents to move to safety.After pummelling the south-east, it began moving over the Appalachian mountains and affecting states like Tennessee and Virginia.Helene had already caused flooding and power outages in Cuba as it barrelled toward the U.S. (dpa /NAN)
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