HOW I WILL REACT AND RESPOND TO THE RECENT XENOPHOBIC ATTACKS IF I

WAS THE PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA

Several years after independence, many African countries are still unable to guarantee stability,
peace, and security for the bulk of their citizens. Although the worst decades of instability in
Africa have passed, there are still remnants of Xenophobic tendencies, fault lines and war
legacies in many countries that continue to threaten peace and security. Longman's
contemporary dictionary defines Xenophobia as a strong antipathy or aversion to strangers or
foreigners. Xenophobic attacks simply refers to attack of foreigners by the citizens due to
abnormal fear, envy or hatred. Former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, once said that
"the management affairs of women and children is the sole aim of governance" this simply
implies that a government that cannot protect its citizens is prescribed a failed government. In
this essay, I discuss government reforms, strengthening immigration laws and subsequent
enforcement of laws of international bodies like ECOWAS, AU and UN; Economic control, the
need for proper orientation through education, sports and social events to build strong
partnership and strengthen regional cooperation between affected parties and further Creation
of employment as proactive approaches to curtailing the problem of xenophobic attacks in
Nigeria. And identification of flash points which are usually prone to xenophobic attacks and
subsequent repositioning of my Emergency Response Rescue team to be more effective,
Strengthen laws which protects immigrants against reprisal attacks and ensuring strict
punishment for Leaders (political, traditional, religious, organizations...) who incite citizens
against foreigners as reactive responses aimed towards solving xenophobic problems. I present
these strategies as solutions to the major causes of Xenophobia which includes consistent
abuse of laws by immigrants, destruction of farms and attack of natives by some Nomadic
Fulani Herdsmen including their involvement in robbery, continuous involvement of foreigners in
retail trade, illegal drug trade and some other illegal activities by foreigners, abuse of local
employees by foreign managers of some industries, companies and restaurant and lastly
continuous illegal mining activities by foreign nationals.

Xenophobic Attacks mostly occur when the citizens take the law into their hands in their bid to
take back something which they believe is rightly theirs or a defense of themselves through a
violent means, so i most cases perpetuators of Xenophobuc attacks feel they are fighting a just
cause. Citing the case of the recent attack of some Nigerians doing business in South Africa by
local nationalities; "SAFETY FIRST", a popular precautionary slogan, as a siting President, the
life of any of my subject counts. I will send an emergency rescue plane to evacuate every
Nigerian living in South Africa returning them safely to their distant families. This will help douse
tension and reduce the level of proposed damage.
"Revenge is an act of cowardice"- Paul Kagame. often times the aftermath of xenophobic attack stirs up
reprisal attack on the side of the affected party. As a reactive response to containing this, I will ensure
immediate security of all Foreign Multinationals business in Nigeria