'Thank Tinubu for what?' - Stranded Nigerians in South Africa lament

A group of Nigerians stranded in South Africa (SA) confronted their Consul General, Amb Ninikanwa Okey-Uche, over the failure of their government to evacuate them.

Amb Okey-Uche, while addressing the stranded Nigerians who are camped at the premises of the Consulate, admonished them to thank their President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“I want to hear you say, ‘Thank you, Mr President. We see the good thing you're doing, and we are just pleading with you to fast-track it’,” she said in a video of the incident shared by News Central.

The Consul General’s admonition did not sit well with some of the Nigerians who have volunteered to be repatriated to their country due to the ongoing xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

One of the leaders of the group, Iky Okwuakwu, the Chairman of PFN Gauteng, asserted that there was nothing to thank President Tinubu for.

He said that after the government promised to repatriate them, they sold all their properties and now have nothing to go back to.

He indicated that while other African countries like Ghana are flying out their compatriots, Nigerians, including women and children, have been left in the cold for several weeks.

“Why should we thank Mr Tinubu - for what? Even if you had not asked Nigerians to come out, we would have found our way. But you asked us to come out in winter, women and children, in winter.

“And they are here stranded, and the politicians are there in Nigeria arguing and satisfying themselves, and these people are left here with no hope, and you are telling us to say, ‘Mr President, thank you.’ What are we thanking you for?” he fumed.

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Watch a video of the incident below:

BAI

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