The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Ogun State Joint Campus Committee (JCC), has declared plans to stage mass protests and ordered an immediate boycott of South African-owned companies, including MTN Group and MultiChoice Group, over renewed xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.
In a strongly worded press statement issued on Wednesday, the student body condemned the attacks as “barbaric, disgraceful, and a direct assault on the dignity of Nigerians,” warning that students across Ogun State would no longer remain passive in the face of continued violence against their compatriots abroad.
The statement, signed by NANS Ogun JCC Chairman, Comrade Olabode Farouq Success, said the association is mobilising students for coordinated mass action if urgent steps are not taken to halt the attacks.
“This is no longer a time for polite diplomacy. Nigerians are being attacked, their businesses destroyed, their lives threatened—and we are expected to remain calm? No. Not anymore,” the statement read.
NANS accused South African interests of benefiting from Nigeria’s peaceful business environment while Nigerians in South Africa face violence and discrimination, describing the situation as a “shameful double standard.”
The association argued that while Nigerian consumers continue to support South African businesses operating locally, there has been what it termed a “dangerous silence” from those companies regarding the plight of Nigerians in their home country.
“It is an insult of the highest order. Nigerians have shown tolerance, hospitality, and brotherhood. What we receive in return is hatred and bloodshed. This hypocrisy will be resisted,” the statement added.
Raising concerns over the safety of Nigerian students and youths abroad, NANS warned that the persistent attacks threaten their lives and future, insisting that no citizen should live in fear while seeking opportunities in another African country.
The group called on the South African government and its security agencies to take decisive action by protecting foreign nationals, arresting perpetrators, and ensuring swift justice. It warned that failure to act would be interpreted as negligence or tacit approval.
NANS Ogun JCC further directed Nigerian students and the wider public to boycott MTN and DSTV services as a form of economic protest, stressing that the action marks the beginning of what it described as a broader lawful resistance if the situation persists.
“You cannot continue to profit from Nigeria and remain silent while Nigerians are being attacked. That silence is loud, and it is unacceptable,” the statement said.
Reaffirming its support for African unity, the association maintained that such unity must be built on mutual respect and justice, not one-sided tolerance.
“Let it be clear—we are not begging for respect, we are demanding it. If our people are not safe, then business as usual cannot continue. Enough is enough,” the statement concluded.
