Abuja — Newspaper reports from South Africa said yesterday that legendary reggae music icon, Lucky Dube, was killed because he was mistaken for a Nigerian.
But the Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), who spoke to the Southern Africa correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday reacted with shock to reports that Dube was shot because his killers thought he was a Nigerian.
He said it was unacceptable that South Africans would perceive Nigerians with such hatred.
According to him, this perception was in spite of Nigeria's contribution to the liberation of South Africans from the oppressive Apart-heid regime.
"This kind of situation is unacceptable to us as a people and government," Marwa said.
He said what the perception meant was that once "one is a Nigerian, you are not safe here in South Africa" .
The matter, according to him, would be tabled at the Review Meeting of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission later this month in Abuja.
"This matter has to be tabled and concluded with before the situation escalates out of hand. What if Nigerians at home also decide to set up South Africans?", he asked rhetorically, saying "we must stop it now and get the relationship back to where it should be, friendly and acceptability of brotherliness."
He emphasised that "we are the same people who have toiled together in the past and are still toiling now."
"We have thousands of Nigerian professionals and entrepreneurs who engage in hard, decent and legitimate businesses and contribute to the economy of South Africa.
"If they have laboured hard to legitimately earn their pay, they reserve the right to afford whatever luxury cars of their taste and live out the best life-styles of their desire. It is their entitlement and definitely not a crime for you to live well if you work hard for it.
"Nigerians should not be seen as criminal elements. Are they saying that because as a Nigerian who rides a flashy car he should be killed? We will not accept that. We will resist it," he said.
Marwa assured Nigerians who called the high commission on the matter that "we are on top of the matter" and urged them to remain law abiding citizens.
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I am a Nigerian, and we are our own worst problem. We act so offended when others tell us the truth about ourselves. Not all Nigerians are crooks, but now nobody wants to take the chance to find out.
Even those of us who are not crooks behave so crudely and uncivilized and uncouth, and then we wonder why the rest of the world look at us with scorn and disgust.
It is time for us to stop pretending that we don't have a problem. We have behavioral problems. Big time. That is why many other Africans hate us, and the rest of the world laughs at us and despises us.
It is only when we admit the truth that we will be able to change our circumstances. Until then we will remain the laughing stock of the world, despite having so many world-class people.
Hallo to all am a Nigerian living in Germany. What i will like to comment on this, is that, Nigeria show know that no one like them even those that we are helping every day around Africa dont even want to see any person call a Nigerian.
this problem is been cost by our Government, I calling our Government is because of what i saw in Douala Cameroon in year 2000,i visited my brother there and i need to apply for a resident permit so we have to go to the police station to give them my finger print, ask me what i saw there!!!!!!???? My God i am still crying for my Country Nigeria, if am not mistaking i saw about 80 Nigerians in one room sell shouting call me brother please take this number and call my people in Nigeria to let them know where they are, as am writing this now my brothers and sisters i am crying now,
I went to the Nigeria consulate in Douala Cameroon and inform them of what is going on, did you know the diplomats that our Government sent to be taking care of his citizens says to me that they are all illegal immigrant that dont want to pay for their resident permit and I replied to him must the die because of resident permit why dont you ask Cameroon Government to send them back to Nigeria? As i ask this question what did they do? The send me out of the office, As a Nigerian you know what I mean, who am I to talk to a diplomat like that
So coming back to the Lucky Dube issue, Is time Nigerian Government should value their citizens all over the world and dont be afraid of losing your contact around Africa and all over the world the need you as you need them God bless Nigeria
please,i will like to advise u not to blame yr country for not doing anything for the people.Nigerians are the highest criminal the world over.why?even in germany where u live,nigerian have the highest numbers in the prisons.i live in the czech republic,its the same.even where i work,i meet with a lot of foriegners.just listen to what they say:where are u from?Cameroon(me).this is my email adress,but please dont give it to any Nigerian.in the streets of praque,half of the african s are from nigeria and commit so many attrocities and lower the image of other Africans of good will.my best friend back in cameroon is a Nigerian and am more close to him than with my family.so young man don blame yr govt but the people.they tarnis the image of nigerian around the world.and this goes along way to afect us africans of good will.Yr country is very rich but yet u are every where in the world like ants?My bother was killed in south africa last year because he was close to nigerians.i will advice u to live yr life quietly in germany.i visit berlin always to hand cars to my agent for shipment through the hamburg port,in one of my travels i was duped by one nigerian.how much did he take from me?10euros.what a disgrace Nigeria.i will never sacrifice my freedom for 10 euros.all over europe and asia,jails are full of nigerians,so what do u expect to find in cameroon which is just maybe fours drive.many fo yr country men in czech republic lie to police that they are from jamiaca(for those who dont speak french)and Cameroonians(for those who can speak some french) Please,if u could do anything at all,then it would be to advive yr country men to live honest and hard working lives where ever they find thierselves and the Govt will come to thier assistance whenever they have problems.thanks and have a nice day.
I will like to ask u if ur a full NIGERIAN and ur in Czech i will like u to tell me a little about Jesus Country that doesnt have Criminals which crime are we committing in this world that is more than the crime that Jesus country committed that make the world to face economic problem today did u kill them or did u kill ur brother thinking that the are Jesus citizen that are lower criminals in the world than Nigerians, please mind ur word. People like u are those that help them to come and pick ur brother up to charge them in world court of any crime they may call it, but on this economic problem now who is looking for who to make sure that this world is one world that everything is 50/50, no ur Jesus people will tell u that every bad thing is black but every good thing is white. Criminals come from Africa their headquarter is Nigeria and u been a Nigerian ur their offshore partner if u dont know it better know it now Nigerian Czech
WHERE DID THE WORLD MONEY WENT TO ??????????? EVERY BODY WANT TO KILL NIGERIANS (MAMA AFRICA) COME AND PUT UNITY
What is the babhinspride of a thing, imbécile que tu soufre, you said (yet u are every where in the world like ants) what are you doing where you are like a junction imbecile, what was your brother doing in SA before he was killed there, do you think Nigeria can compare Cameroon in stupidity? This is 18yrs Im living in a society where all African are gathered, Nigerians are far, did you get me? I said far reputed than the Cameroonians. Say thanks for the little time I spent responding to your idiocy! Your brother was killed in SA because he went to do cambriolage.
I cant see a reason why Cameroonians always arise when they hear of a Nigerian issue, Look you all Cameroonians let me tell you, a big ship always call for a deep ocean, hahahah if you knows what it means, call Nigeria a big ship and start thinking of what to do to develop your country, start thinking of what to do to remove Chantal Biya from that throne of leadership and acquire a man, I said a man with the fullness of manhood to rule your country, b/c if Paul / Chantal continue on that their sit of ages, that means there is no other man standing in that country, God forbid such a thing for Nigeria.
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