Lessons Everyone Can Learn From Xenophobic Attacks

84 Nigerians arrived in Nigeria from South Africa. Over 600 Nigerians had registered to leave the country. The xenophobic attack on foreigners has really displaced many Nigerians living in South Africa.

But my major concern is – where would they start? Where will they pick their broken pieces of life?

It’s so sad to see people who had left Nigeria in search of greener pastures, back to square one. Many had been successful over there. To lose everything overnight is a big shame to the South African government for not protecting the foreigners and their properties.

We can blame South African governments and citizens for all I care, but the truth still remains, they’ve lost their properties and investments. Some had even lost their beloved ones. None of these is ever going to come back to them. We all must move on and learn from this.

Here are some lessons everyone can learn from the xenophobic attack:

• No place like home: No matter how successful you are in another country, always remember that it can never be compared to your own country where you have your root. You will always be a second class citizen out there. Mesut Ozil is a good example of this scenario. The Turkish-German footballer was treated poorly by the German Football Association. Despite winning the World Cup for the country, he was never given the maximum respect he deserves.

• Never put all your eggs in one basket: Learn to invest 60 percent of your wealth in your homeland. Put 40 percent outside. You never know what would happen next. Yes, you could invest in your home and lose. But it is safer to keep it at home than to leave it out there. I hope our Nigerian celebrities out there would learn from this as well. Every year, policy changes. A government could come against foreigners in the country and asked them to leave. You never know.

• Build your own empire: It’s a shame that our government has failed us. If our system is working, no one would be interested in going overseas. But it is never over. The South African xenophobic attack has passed a message to everyone that it’s time to build our own empire – Nigeria. The government should focus on improving our economy by creating an environment that enables investors, and business ideas to thrive.

Lastly, I would also say that the xenophobic attack is a warning sign that we could have the poor going against the rich sooner or later in this country if nothing is done to improve the situation in the country. I hope we all can learn and grow from there.

God bless Nigeria!!!