Xenophobic attacks: Help South Africans, don’t punish them — OAU don

…As varsity’s International Relations Department marks 50th anniversary

By Shina Abubakar, Osogbo

The Federal Government has been urged to adopt a sympathetic approach towards South Africa over the recent xenophobic attacks, rather than resort to punitive measures, with a don at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, saying South Africans need help at a difficult time.

A Professor of International Relations at OAU, Charles Ukeje, said the xenophobic violence was regrettable, particularly given Nigeria’s significant contributions, alongside other African countries, to the struggle against apartheid in South Africa.

Ukeje spoke during a press conference organised to herald the 50th anniversary of the university’s Department of International Relations at the campus.

He blamed the attacks partly on the failure of successive South African governments to adequately educate their citizens about the sacrifices made by Nigeria and other African countries towards ending apartheid.

According to him, proper education about the contributions of other African nations could have helped foster a stronger sense of brotherhood among South Africans and other Africans.

He said: “I believe that the xenophobic violence in South Africa is very regrettable. It is regrettable because this is a country which the rest of the continent, particularly Nigeria, helped to midwife in the context of apartheid.

“So, in the post-apartheid era, you would expect that the South Africans will be more and better disposed to the rest of Africans, given the amount of sacrifice that Nigerians and other African countries have made in the bid to end apartheid in that country.

“It is regrettable that generations of South African leaders, upon achieving an end to apartheid, really did not adequately educate their citizens on the role the whole of Africa played.

“Perhaps, if they had done that, things would have been different. Perhaps, the ordinary South African citizens on the street would treat and see other Africans as brothers.”

On Nigeria’s response, the don said the country should maintain its longstanding commitment to Africa as the centrepiece of its foreign policy.

He urged the Federal Government to demonstrate leadership by showing understanding towards South Africa, despite the hostility some of its citizens might harbour towards Nigerians.

“In terms of how Nigeria should respond, Africa has always been the centrepiece of Nigeria’s foreign policy. I don’t think that is going to change.

“I think Nigeria has the responsibility to continue to see itself as a leader on the continent. I think that role for Nigeria is perhaps more important today than it was anytime.

“And I’m looking forward to the Nigerian government not really wielding the big stick against South Africa, but to actually acknowledge that the country and its citizens are facing very difficult circumstances at this time and we need to be more sympathetic to them, even with the amount of disdain that the ordinary citizens harbour towards Nigeria,” he said.

Department marks 50 years

Earlier, the Head of the Department of International Relations, Professor Victoria Akinyemi, said the department had contributed significantly to the development of manpower for Nigeria’s foreign policy over its five decades of existence.

She said the anniversary was not only an opportunity to celebrate the department’s achievements but also to reposition it to meet the demands of the 21st-century international system.

Akinyemi noted that the contemporary global environment had changed significantly from the Cold War era of the 1960s and 1970s when the department was established.

“As we celebrate our past, we must also not forget to grasp, appreciate, and proactively confront the realities of a changing world.

“It is instructive to note that the 21st-century international system is different from the Cold War environment of the 1960s and 1970s into which the department was born.

“We now live in a very fluid world that is marked by complex interdependence, unending geopolitical realignments, climate and environmental politics, social disruptions caused by new technologies, democratic backsliding, civilisational clashes, the resurgence of populism and nationalism, and emerging security challenges,” she said.

The department head said the institution would continue to adapt through innovation, curriculum development and research to remain relevant in the changing global environment.

She added that the department would leverage modern technology, particularly Information and Communication Technology, alongside strategic socio-economic frameworks, to deliver effective, cost-efficient and globally competitive academic programmes.

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