Xenophobia: ANN blasts Oshiomhole for urging FG take over South African businesses in Nigeria

The Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN) has berated the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Adams Oshiomhole for advising Nigerians to boycott services of South African firms and also urging the federal government to take over operations of such firms in Nigeria.

The party in a statement signed and released by its national chairman, Emmanuel Dania on Monday said such utterances reflected why Nigeria under

The utterances of the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomole following the attacks on Nigerians in South Africa asking the Federal Government on the one side to take over South African businesses like MTN and then on the other side that Nigerians should stop using the services of such business, is not only unguarded but also very unwise and at best ignorant of the realities of crisis management.

The APC and its leadership are men of the old order; men who feed from corruption and exploitation. This is because instructing a government to take over a private business is nothing but callous and sheer abuse of power and privilege. Yes, there is an issue. Yes, the Nigerian government needs to take a position, but that position should be within the ambit of acceptable and reasonable diplomatic framework and guidelines. Taking over a private concern in a country due to issues affecting the citizen of that country in the country of origin of the business just shows we need to send the APC chairman to school some more.


As much as the APC and its leaders continue to show their ignorance in matters such as this and in particular as it relates to the economy, it only furthers our position as a party that the next level promised by the current president and his party is nothing but hardship and danger. Next level of taking over businesses that they did not start or facilitate its growth and success. Next level to throw many young Nigerians and their families where they are breadwinners to hunger so that they can further impoverish them and be able to buy more votes when the time comes.

As a political party with a difference, the Alliance for New Nigeria is not surprised about the position and the utterances of the leaders of the APC. We are not surprised at all. We have seen that they lack the requisite skill and tact needed to manage crisis and also lack the skill required to drive an economy to the side of productivity and growth. We are not surprised that the Nigerian economy is worse today than before.

The Alliance for New Nigeria is not speaking for MTN, but we are speaking for the hundreds and thousands of Nigerians and their families whose lives and livelihood are linked to the operations of MTN as a business and taxes that the same Federal Government earns from MTN doing businesses in Nigeria. We are not saying MTN should act without a sense of responsibility because they are an economic benefit to Nigeria. We are saying that taking over MTN is not the answer to ending the attacks against Nigerians in South Africa or anywhere else. It is absolutely not the answer.

As a party, we are saying to the generality of Nigerians that they now have the opportunity to assess this government and its party. On one side, they pretend to care for Nigerians and then on the other, they are ignorant of the impact of their actions and statements. This shows lack of sound leadership and weak decision making. We are not surprised because we never expected anything sound from them particularly because they and their twin brother, the PDP, are joint ventures in corruption and contributors to the economic woes of Nigeria since return to democratic rule.


Signed
Emmanuel Dania
National Chairman
Abuja