Obasanjo who spoke on Saturday, September 28th in his Abeokuta residence said Buhari and Ramaphosa should be ready to make the right statements that would encourage the Nigerians who returned home to go back to South Africa.
When asked by reporters what he discussed with Ramaphosa last week, he said, “I took the opportunity of being in South Africa to actually pay a courtesy call on President Cyril Ramaphosa and he quickly granted me the opportunity.One of the major things we discussed was this issue of xenophobia or Afrophobia.
“The President told me that there was so much at stake and whatever mistake we had made, we had to correct it. And I think that was a very good statement and I know that he meant it, because he immediately said ‘what can we do or should we do?’
Obasanjo also advised South Africans to tread softly on the issue of foreigners seeking opportunities in their country.
“The idea of thinking or saying that foreigners are taking your jobs should be killed, because most of these foreigners paid something into the country. I met more than two Nigerians who are doing legitimate businesses and the turnover runs into millions of dollars and they employed 50 to 60 South Africans.
“All these must be expressed and must be shown that Nigerians in South Africa are not drug peddlers and criminals; there are many of them that are genuine businessmen and professionals and who are making meaningful contributions to the economy and the social life of that country.
“I think that is all we must be doing and be saying and my joy is that President Cyril Ramaphosa is ready to do what needs to be done to stop these incidents and to put the relationship between Nigeria and South Africa on the right track.
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