Mr Allen Onyema, founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Peace, has backed calls for retaliation against South Africa following allegations of attacks on Nigerians living in the country, news.ng reports.
Onyema, in an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday, wondered how security agencies in South Africa had descended so low as to allow this level of chaos against foreign nationals in most parts of the country.
Following a series of reported harassment incidents involving Nigerians and other foreign nationals in South Africa, the aviation guru described South Africans as a lazy set of people who cannot learn from Nigerians how to do business and excel at it.
He said:
“I totally agree that there should be a stop to foolishness. Every time they do this, and they get the support of their government, I don’t understand how all of a sudden South Africa lacked police force, lacked the military, lacked every security agency that could have stopped these people.
“How do you explain where people would march into somebody’s house, bring you out, question you, can I see your papers? ‘ You’re a foreigner; you have to go back home. You have to go to the shops they are running.
“What kind of employment did you provide for him to run a shop? He brought money from Nigeria and opened a shop in your country to help your country and help you. The best you could have done is to learn from these Nigerians or acquire some entrepreneurial skills.
These people are very lazy, and they themselves and their government try to blame others for their woes and foolishness. This is happening.”
While backing the call for retaliation, the aviation expert suggested a non-violent response, stating that Nigerian investors should divest their investments from companies of South African origin.
“I support who says that we should retaliate. But the kind of retaliation I want is what we are doing. Let us do non-violence retaliation. I don’t want Nigerians to go to the street and attack any South Africans. We love foreigners. Nigerians are not like that. That’s not the kind of retaliation I want.
“I don’t want Nigeria to close down MTN or other places. Don’t Nigerians have shares in those companies? I don’t want Nigeria, because after all, those people are employing Nigerians too. I don’t want that.
“The kind of retaliation I want is for Nigerians to boycott South Africa. You know what it means? Boycott South Africa. Don’t invest in that country.
“If they want to invest in our country, let them bring their money and invest. And you determine how they take the money back. That is non-violence action.
“Boycott South Africa. If you decide to go against me, the only thing I can do to you is to withdraw my support to you. I don’t have to support you to use it to finish me.
“So that’s the kind of retaliation I want, and it’s most powerful,” he explained.
Watch the clip
