Renown environmental justice activist, Nnimmo Bassey, Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation, in solidarity with victims of the ongoing xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa has backed down on a speaking engagement at an important conference tagged Financing the Future, which was scheduled to hold 10-11 September 2019, in Cape Town.
Bassey who was invited as a speaker and as one of the Global Ambassadors, in a statement, noted that having watched the spate of hate and xenophobia being played out on the streets of South Africa, he is deeply disappointed that political leaders could allow things to degenerate to the level that is being displayed. “The hate and the resultant violence against “others” reminds us of the dark apartheid days and appears to underscore the deep disruptions that swirl under the surface of a deeply unequal society,” he added.
Bassey had agreed to attend the conference, had obtained a visa and received the international air ticket for his participation but cancelled the appointment as a mark of honour to the victims of the mindless violence to other Africans living in South Africa.
The justice activist posited that the violence against Nigerians in South Africa should agitate the entire continent and that the African Union (AU) should urgently step up and play a role in realigning the mindsets of all Africans, irrespective of colour or location. He added that it is time for our government to draw the line and demand that leaders in South Africa should make efforts to improve the lives of their people and get the nation to work rather than indulge in banditry and shedding of innocent blood.
While he condemned the horrible attacks, and remembers the radical role Nigeria played in fighting against the apartheid regime in South Africa, Bassey admonished that Nigerians at home should not vent their anger and frustration on South Africans and associated businesses in Nigeria, stating that two wrongs never make a right. He called on the presidents of Nigeria and South Africa to take a hard look at their countries; to step up in the defence of citizens’ right to life no matter where they live.
