Governor Ademola Adeleke has appealed to South African authorities to intervene and halt the constant harassment and molestation of Nigerians in South Africa.
The Governor who appealed while hosting the Consul-General of the Republic of South Africa to Nigeria, Professor Bobby J Moroe, and his Vice Consul, Ms Busisiwe Dlamini at the Government House, Osogbo, described the hostile attitude to Nigerians as “quite disturbing” and “a threat to the historical bond and brotherhood between the two countries.
“I urge you to convey our apprehension to your home government. It is wrong to profile a whole nation as criminals. Every country has its share of good and bad eggs.
“In South Africa, there are thousands of Nigerians legitimately operating their businesses and services. They suffer a lot due to the negative profiling. We need to put an end to this increasing molestation of our nationals in your great country” the Governor noted.
Responding, the Consul-General noted that the concerns raised by his host are genuine but added that his government is doing a lot to ensure a harmonious relationship between South Africans and foreign nationals.
According to him, the Government of South Africa values its relationship with Nigeria given its historical brotherhood and the very close economic and Diplomatic relationship between the two countries.
He cited the fact that many South Africans are married to Nigerians and vice versa, promising to also convey the concerns of the Governor to her home country.
Both the Governor and the Consul General reviewed the economic opportunities between the two countries and proposed a Memorandum of Understanding between Osun State and the South African province of Gauteng, the most developed of South African provinces.
The two teams specifically agreed that the target of the partnership would be agro-processing technologies and mining, the two areas in which both states have comparative advantages. Gauteng province in South Africa is mostly referred to as the face of Gold alongside its developed agro-industrial sector.
The details of the agreement which will see a joint meeting between Governors of the two states are being worked upon.
Gauteng contributes 33.9% to South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) and is also one of the biggest contributors to the economy of the continent.
The population of 13 million people has the highest per-capita income level in the country