I don’t know how it started and I didn’t bother to dig deeper about how the South Africans’ xenophobic attack on Nigerians started.
I grew up to always panic whenever South Africans start their attacks on Nigerians who reside in the country or do business in the country.
I am always worried whenever there’s news of attacks on Nigerians, not just because of our citizens staying there but also because my elder brother; Dr Olabode Abdul Hameed relocated there with his family.
A friend of mine attributed the copious strength and time we take for exploration in the other room as a reason for the hate against Nigerians.
He even said most of our guys who relocated there went there to make their women taste how skillful we are in ‘bedmatics’ and thereby making them stuck for life.
I do not really agree with him even though I know how powerful our men are in bedroom activity and related matters, because to agree with him completely is to denigrate the genuine efforts of people who went for education, trade and even outright relocation.
But these people hate us and everything that has to do with Nigeria. I know how scared we were during the last African Cup of Nations when we were to face them in the semifinals of the competition.
We weren’t scared because we didn’t have quality players who would defeat them but we were scared of the aftermath of us winning the match which we eventually went on to win.
We were scared of the possible attacks of South Africans on our people and their businesses. Some people did not care because they saw it as a way to pay them back in their own coin, so the football match which we won 4-2 on penalties was more of a revenge than a game.
This morning, I woke to see another war brewing on Social Media which was also reportedly started by South Africans.
Apparently, they are booking rides on the ride-hailing application, Bolt, from South Africa, thereby disturbing Nigerians who are doing their businesses in Nigeria.
They book rides from the comfort of their homes in South Africa, Nigerians riders accept the order and move to the location for pick-up until they get there and see that the customer is chilling inside his room in South Africa.
According to reports on social media, it started yesterday evening.
Nigerians have now begun their own comeback. I expect us giving them a bloody nose from the war.
I saw a post by someone who ordered 6 washing machines, 2 deep freezer and opted for pay on delivery from the comfort of his room in Ilorin. I’m sure the delivery man would get to the location and see that it’s not existing.
People have been booking rides, and all sort of things from their homes in Nigeria. Even South Africans know they can’t win this battle, but we must tread with caution.
The pioneer of Yoruba waka music, Batile Alake, invokes chants in her evergreen songs.
In a particular album, she sings about entering the farm through the furrow and escaping the whips of the farm owner by not stepping on his (yam) heaps – poro ni mo gbà/ kí olóko má nà mí/ mo ti dá ebeè kojá.
In another song, Batile sings about the unusual and the attention which bigness attracts: “B’érin bá w’ojà á j’ogún àpéjowò omo aráyé (when a ponderous elephant saunters into the market square, he inherits the world as his audience).”
There is a big lesson here: An Egungun that is conscious of life out of the mask will behave well, will limit his performance to dance and songs; will carry no whips, and will whip not the helpless.
While we are trying to teach them a lesson for messing with us, we must be reminded that we have people who have entered into the South African farm and must now live unscathedly without stepping on their heaps by infuriating them via our reprisal orders.
Bagbansoro Uthman Olamilekan Writes from Abuja can be reached via Twitter: @The_Bagbansoro
bagbansorouthman@gmail.com
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