Ekweremadu seeks solution to xenophobia at international parliament

Former Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has drawn the attention of the International Parliament on Tolerance and Peace (IPTP) holding in Ethiopia to the wave of xenophobic attacks.

Speaking yesterday at the opening plenary of the parliament in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Ekweremadu, who chairs the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee of the IPTP, urged the parliament to pay special attention to xenophobic attacks on the continent.

The report came after Saturday’s killing of another Nigerian in South Africa by unknown gunmen.

Ekweremadu’s complaint was contained in a statement signed by his media aide, Uche Anichuwu, in Abuja yesterday.

The statement reads, “Since we are holding this session in Africa, permit me to mention the issue of xenophobia, a development that worries me. There is a growing trend in acts and incidences of intolerance, which is destroying the brotherhood, peace and mutual relationship among the people of Africa.

“As a special parliament focusing on tolerance and peace, we will not close our eyes to the cases of xenophobia wherever it exists.

“I also appeal to our brothers and sisters in Africa to not only continue to tolerate but to also respectfully accept one another as one people with a common destiny.”

The former Speaker of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) parliament, however, commended the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Ahmed Abiy, for his efforts at promoting tolerance and peace in East Africa and for ending Ethiopia’s 20-year hostilities with Eritrea.

He also expressed satisfaction with the impact of the IPTP since its inauguration in Malta in July 2018, while commending the president of the mother organisation, Global Council for Tolerance and Peace (GCTP), Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Jarwan, for the successes recorded by both bodies.

The Nigerian community in South Africa was thrown into mourning following the killing by gunmen of Mr. Chikamso Ufordi from Awgu Council of Enugu State.

The spokesperson of Nigerian Union South Africa (NUSA), Mr. Odefa Ikele, made the disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Lagos.

Ikele said the incident took place at Nigel, a small gold mining town in Gauteng Province, East Rand near Johannesburg.

“One of the witnesses informed us that the deceased was trailed by unknown gunmen, and was shot point-blank in his car with two other Nigerian friends.

“His friends also sustained injuries, but the late Chikamso died immediately before help could arrive from the province’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) team.”