Femi Fani-Kayode, a former aviation minister, has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari’s planned visit to South Africa, following the xenophobic attack on Nigerians.
Chief Fani-Kayode took to Twitter to describe the scheduled visit as an “insult” to Nigerians.
“A President does not reward a foreign power that has just slaughtered his citizens with impunity with a state visit. @MBuhari‘s visit to South Africa is inappropriate and an insult to the Nigerian people.This is yet another 1st in the ignoble hall of infamy and shame for Nigeria,” the leading opposition figure wrote.
A President does not reward a foreign power that has just slaughtered his citizens with impunity with a state visit.@MBuhari's visit to South Africa is inappropiate and an insult to the Nigerian people.This is yet another 1st in the ignoble hall of infamy and shame for Nigeria.
— Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) October 2, 2019
President Buhari will depart Abuja on Wednesday, October 2, on a three-day state visit to South Africa.
This was confirmed by a statement issued by Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu. This followed an invitation by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The statement added that the meeting is to discuss the welfare of Nigerians and find common ground for building harmonious relations with their hosts.
One of the themes which will come up during the visit of Buhari to South Africa “will be a joint business forum, with a focus on trade and investment,” Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Khusela Diko said on Tuesday.
According to the statement; the visit will also provide Buhari and Ramaphosa the opportunity “to strengthen and deepen political, economic, social and cultural relations between the two countries while creating space for deliberations on issues of mutual interest and concern pertaining to the continent and global governance.”
Diko said formal relations had been conducted through a Bi-National Commission (BNC) established in 1999. This structured bilateral mechanism provided for political, economic, social, cultural, scientific and technical cooperation, she explained.
However, Fani-Kayode insisted that Buhari should have rejected the invitation extended to him by Ramaphosa, following the killing of Nigerians.
