The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has ruled out calls for Nigeria to revoke the licences of South African companies operating in the country, saying such a move could hurt investor confidence and damage Nigeria’s image as a place for business.
Speaking during Senate debate on attacks against Nigerians in South Africa, Akpabio said lawmakers should focus on condemning the violence and pushing the Federal Government to act. He said Nigeria must respond with caution while still protecting its economic interests. Recent reports show the Senate rejected proposals for economic retaliation and instead backed a diplomatic response. 
Akpabio told lawmakers, “We should rather, as a senate, condemn what we are seeing happen to Nigerians in South Africa and urge the federal government to take serious steps and revert to us as soon as practicable.”
He also warned against taking actions that could lead to attacks on foreign nationals living in Nigeria. “We have a lot of South Africans living in Nigeria, and if we start dragging them and killing them, we are returning to the Stone Age,” he said.
His comments came after some lawmakers suggested Nigeria should consider revoking the licences of South African-owned businesses as pressure on Pretoria over the reported attacks on Nigerians. But Akpabio insisted diplomacy and engagement remain the better path as Nigeria seeks both justice for its citizens and stability for investors.
Ademide Adebayo
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