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Xenophobia: Nigerian lawmakers reject calls to use proceeds from MTN, DStv to compensate victims
The Senate on Tuesday rejected calls by some of its members to nationalise South African companies operating in Nigeria and use the proceeds from the firms to compensate Nigerians who suffered losses during xenophobic attacks in that country.
The upper chamber reached the decision after a majority of senators rejected the proposal through a voice vote during plenary while debating a motion on the continued attacks and killings of Nigerians in South Africa.
The motion was sponsored by Cross River South Senator, Asuquo Ekpenyong.
Among the South African companies operating in Nigetia are MTN, a telecom giant and DStv, a pay television service owned by MultiChoice Group.
During the debate, Lagos Central Senator, Wasiu Eshinlokun, urged the Senate to consider nationalising the companies.
Mr Eshinlokun, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), lamented the continued killings of Nigerians and the destruction of their properties in South Africa.
Edo North Senator, Adams Oshiomhole, supported the proposal, arguing that rather than merely expressing grief over the attacks, lawmakers should adopt measures that would affect South Africa’s economy.
Mr Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo State, recalled that the Senate had earlier resolved to send a delegation to South Africa to engage with its government over the killings but said nothing had been done since the resolution was adopted.
Bauchi Central Senator, Abdul Ningi also backed the proposal, saying Nigeria should adopt stronger diplomatic measures instead of continued engagement.
However, the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who presided over the session, rejected the proposal, arguing that the circumstances surrounding the attacks should first be properly investigated before Nigeria takes any action.
Mr Jibrin, an APC senator, who represents Kano North Senatorial District, acknowledged that many Nigerians had lost their lives and properties but maintained that Nigeria must act cautiously.
“Killing people in the name of protest is not something that should be accepted. It is unacceptable, we cannot allow that but then we need to be careful, particularly because we live in Africa, we set the pace. Whatever we want to do, we need to be very careful,” he said.
The deputy senate president also addressed reports that the South African government had refused to compensate victims, saying decisions should not be based on social media posts.
“What Senator Adams Oshiomhole said, sometimes, we don’t take things that are said on social media to analyse the situation. I saw what he is talking about. What the minister was saying was that those who live in illegal settlements will not be paid anything because they illegally occupied those areas. But those who have titles, nobody will take those titles away from them, nobody will take their properties from them even if they have been displaced.
“The government (of SA) should be bold enough to say we have been threatened by some certain people who are conspiring to destabilise our nation. The president (of SA) should come out to tell the world. Maybe after the committee has done its work, maybe we will find it necessary to advise the South African government,” he said.
Mr Jibrin subsequently urged the three senators to withdraw their proposals and instead allow the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs to investigate the attacks and report back in two weeks.
This is not the first time lawmakers have debated attacks on Nigerians in South Africa. There have also been previous calls to revoke the operating licences of MTN Group, DStv and other South African companies doing business in Nigeria.
On 5 May, the Senate resolved to send a delegation to South Africa as part of diplomatic efforts to find a lasting solution to the attacks.
It agreed at the time that the delegation would comprise members of both chambers of the National Assembly and would be led by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
The delegation was expected to engage with the South African government and the leadership of its parliament to seek an end to the attacks on Nigerians. However, it is not clear whether the lawmakers delegation visited South Africa because there are no public records of such visitation.
In recent weeks, violent protests have erupted in parts of South Africa, targeting African migrants, including Nigerians. Videos circulating on social media show mobs attacking foreigners, with several Nigerians reportedly killed.
There are also allegations that security officials failed to intervene in some of the attacks. Two Nigerians were reportedly killed in April by personnel of the South African National Defence Force in Port Elizabeth.
One victim, Ekpenyong Andrew, was arrested and later found dead in Pretoria, while another, Amaramiro Emmanuel, died from injuries allegedly sustained during an attack by security personnel.
The government however has repatriated several Nigerians from South Africa due to the violence.
The motion
Presenting the motion, Mr Ekpenyong condemned the attacks and urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to obtain written assurances from the South African government on the safety and protection of Nigerians living in the country.
He also called for the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for violence, intimidation, looting and unlawful immigration enforcement.
The senator further urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa to strengthen emergency consular support and establish a verified register of Nigerians who have suffered death, injury, displacement, unlawful detention, or loss of businesses and property to facilitate legal redress, restitution and compensation.
He also called on the federal government to work with other affected African countries and relevant organs of the African Union to establish an effective early warning and accountability mechanism to prevent xenophobic violence and protect African migrants.
Former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has raised concerns over the use of dangerous chemicals in ripening and preserving fruits, recounting how a laboratory test found his wife’s freshly squeezed orange juice “not fit for human consumption”.
Osinbajo spoke at the Open Day for Gardeners’ Seminar themed “Leaving the Earth Better Than We Found It”, held in Lagos on August 28, with a video of the event shared on his YouTube channel on Wednesday.
Osinbajo said his wife, Dolapo, developed frequent headaches after she began drinking freshly squeezed orange juice every day.
“Dolly, my dear wife, likes to have a full glass of freshly squeezed orange juice every day, a very healthy habit, by the way, especially since she stopped consuming any form of carbonated drinks many years ago,” he said.
“But then after a while she started having some strange headaches drinking her fresh juice every day. Then she checked everything she was eating and drinking, and we were wondering what could the cause of this be?”
He said they initially ruled out the orange juice because it was considered a healthy drink.
“We assumed, of course, it couldn’t be the ‘healthy’ orange juice,” he said.
“The results came back. It showed the orange juice, freshly squeezed, was not fit for human consumption.”
Osinbajo attributed the result to the use of harmful chemicals by some farmers and fruit sellers, warning that the problem could expose Nigerians to health risks.
His words, “Apparently farmers use dangerous pesticides for fruits and vegetables, and fruit and vegetable sellers use very dangerous chemicals sometimes to ripen or preserve fruits and vegetables.”
“Calcium carbide is used very frequently to force fruits such as bananas, mangoes, pawpaws and tomatoes to change colour and look ripe very quickly,” Osinbajo added.
The former vice-president cited studies from different parts of the country which he said had documented the use of chemicals among some fruit sellers.
He referenced a 2024 study in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, where, according to him, half of 20 fruit sellers interviewed admitted using calcium carbide. Similarly, another study in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, where 25 per cent of fruit sellers reportedly admitted to using the chemical to ripen fruits.
Osinbajo further referred to a 2023 survey in Lagos, saying 22 out of 50 fruit retailers admitted using chemicals to preserve their produce.
“These were the ones who agreed they do,” he said.
His call comes amid growing concerns over the proliferation of counterfeit and substandard products in Nigeria, with NAFDAC and SON facing increased pressure as Nigerians use social media to expose food, drugs, cosmetics and other consumer goods suspected to be dangerous.
Residents and youths of Enugu State on Friday marched through popular streets in the state capital in support of the government’s campaign against insecurity, declaring their zero tolerance for terror, criminality and violent extremism.
The youths, including undergraduates and members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), who ultimately converged at Government House, Enugu, where they were received by the Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, pledged to mobilise young people across the state against criminal activities and violent extremism.
Addressing the group, Mbah said security was one of the recurring risk factors identified by his administration while mapping out the developmental building blocks for the state, hence his decision to tackle the menace head-on from the outset.
While commending the youths for taking the initiative to support the anti-crime efforts of the President Bola Tinubu Administration and the Enugu State Government, the governor said his administration’s “Tomorrow Is Here” mantra was not a mere political slogan, but a commitment to investing in young people who would take charge of the state’s future.
“For you to march through the streets and end here preaching the message against crime and terrorism is profound. Ordinarily, we should be the ones preaching to you against such vices.
“But by this act, you are telling us that you are not going to be on the fringes or stand by and watch. Rather, you are going to be at the forefront of the campaign against cultism, crime and terrorism,” the governor said.
Mbah said greater involvement of youths in the fight against criminality would lead to a significant reduction in crime, freeing up resources for job creation and poverty eradication.
He noted that some countries had shut down many of their correctional facilities after recording significant reductions in crime, stressing that a similar transformation could be achieved in Nigeria when young people took ownership of the campaign against criminality.
The governor said the state had adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards criminality, adding that a safer Enugu would attract more investors and generate other multiplier effects for the economy.
He urged the youths to take their campaign against crime and terrorism to every part of the state, saying their initiative would send a strong message that criminality was no longer fashionable among young people.
According to him, the government would complement the youths’ campaign through non-kinetic interventions, including job creation, increased investment in education and digital skills development.
“Your campaign is heartwarming. When citizens apply scholarly and constructive approaches, government will be glad to engage them constructively and productively too,” Mbah said.
Earlier, a leader of the march and Deputy Rector of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, Dr Emeka Ejim, described the coalition as a broad-based youth movement comprising corps members and students united by a common agenda to campaign against crime, cultism and terrorism.
Ejim pledged the group’s support for the state government’s security efforts, saying Enugu had distinguished itself in the fight against crime and cultism through a combination of kinetic and non-kinetic measures, including skills acquisition and job creation.
“We pledge never to join bad groups within and outside Nigeria. We are joining you against terrorism,” he said.
Also speaking, the Enugu State leader of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Okeke Kelvin, said the association would mobilise no fewer than two million youths to support the campaign against violence and terror.
“This is the only way we can show you that we are against terror. We say no to terrorism,” Kelvin said.
The student leader commended the state government for investing heavily in modern security infrastructure in the state, noting the settingup of the Command and Control Centre, Centre for DNA Forensics and Criminal Investigation, Distress Response Squad DRS), and others, which he said were yielding results.
“For instance, they tried you at Affa in Udi, and in no time the kidnappers realized they cannot ply their trade in Enugu State,” he stated.
NYSC corps members Olaranju Oreose and Emmanuela Momoh expressed gratitude to Governor Mbah for the peace and security they enjoy in Enugu, saying the state had totally changed their views and allayed the fears they initially nursed when posted to the South East region.
“I am Olaranju, representing the General CDS President. Sir, as a corps member from the South West, and I have been in Enugu from January till now, I want to say that my journey and experience so far here has been wonderful in terms of security.
“Initially, I had the fear of coming this far distance to Enugu. But having been here, I have changed that thinking. I want to let you know that no one amongst us here, no matter the tribe, no matter the religion, is supporting terrorism.”
Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has approved the appointment of new members and principal officers to key state institutions as part of the administration’s ongoing efforts to reform institutions, strengthen governance and enhance effective service delivery.
Secretary to the State Government, Prof Chidiebere Onyia, disclosed this in a statement made available to Newsmen on Friday, September 4,2026 in Enugu.
The appointments are as follows:
CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION
Prof. Gabriel Ajah — Chairman
Christian Mbah — Member One
Mrs. Stella Ekweremadu — Member Two
Mrs. Theresa Onyefuzili Ifeanyichukwu — Member Three
Uzonna Emmanuel Ogarabe — Member Four
Ambrose Nwodo — Secretary
ENUGU STATE TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (TVET)
Dr. Amaka S. Ngene — Chairman
Bonaventure Onu — Member
Barr. Nnadi Eluke — Member
Kingsley Agwu — Member
Mrs. Joy Odike — Secretary
ENUGU STATE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (ESUT) GOVERNING COUNCIL
Barr. Victor Chukwuani — Chairman
Engr. James Ifeanyichukwu Ajibo — Member
Dr. Eric Oluedo — Member
Dr. Mrs. Gladys Ngozi Okoro — Member
Chukwu Chikaodiri Joy — Member
INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY (IMT) GOVERNING COUNCIL
Hon. Chinedu Onu — Chairman
Dr. Barth Nwankwo — Member
Barr. Emeka Ede — Member
Mrs. Rita Chimaobi — Member
Prince Tony Nwonye — Member
ENUGU STATE POLYTECHNIC, IWOLLO GOVERNING COUNCIL
Rev. Fr. Prof. Anthony Aniagboso Igwe — Rector
Deaconess Ifeoma Nwobodo — Chairman, Governing Council
Obinna Aleke — Member
Barr. Henry Okeke — Member
Emeka Abba — Member
ENUGU STATE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION (TECHNICAL) (ESCET) GOVERNING COUNCIL
Barr. Nwabueze Ugwu — Chairman
Prince Cletus Ajaegbu — Member
Dr. Chiesonu Isiga Eruchalu — Member
Dr. Chukwuemeka Nwatu — Member
Theophilus Onyebeke — Member
The appointments take effect immediately.
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