The Nigerian Senate has been here before. Deaths. Condemnations. Diplomatic notes. Promises of action. And then the cycle repeats itself six years later with fresh casualties and fresh outrage.
On Tuesday, Senator Adams Oshiomhole walked into plenary and made clear he was not interested in that script.
“I don’t want this Senate to be shedding tears to sympathise with those who have died. We didn’t come here to share tears,” he said from the floor of the Senate. 
What he wanted instead was something with teeth.
What He Proposed
The senator representing Edo North called on the federal government to revoke the operating licences of South African-owned companies in Nigeria, including telecommunications giant MTN and pay-television provider DStv, following renewed xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.
He proposed that Nigeria should nationalise MTN and withdraw its operating licence, arguing that the company remits significant revenue out of the country while Nigerians face hostility in South Africa.
“I call on the federal government to revoke DSTV, which is also a South African company taking away millions of dollars,” he said.
His logic was straightforward. “When we hit back, the President of South Africa will not only talk but will also go on his knees to recognise that Nigeria cannot be intimidated.”
He framed the entire argument around one principle, reciprocity. “If you hit me, I hit you. I think it is appropriate in diplomacy. It is an economic struggle.”
The Context Behind the Anger
Oshiomhole linked the attacks to internal political dynamics in South Africa, noting that anti-immigrant sentiments have increasingly influenced attitudes toward foreigners, including Nigerians. He maintained that Nigerians in South Africa are economically active and contribute positively, insisting that decisive action by Nigeria would strengthen its negotiating position.
He also turned the South African argument on its head. South Africans accuse Nigerians of taking their jobs. Oshiomhole’s response was to ask what happens when Nigerians take over the jobs created by South African companies operating in Nigeria instead. He argued that revoking MTN and DStv licences and replacing them with Nigerian companies would force Pretoria to reckon with just how much it has to lose from this relationship.
Senator Abdul Ningi echoed similar energy. “If a crime has been committed under South African law, they have the right to bring any such person to justice, but to kill our people as if we are helpless, we will not allow that. If these things continue, we have alternatives; we have options,” he warned.
Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central, described the situation as disturbing. “It is worrisome. They are hiding for their lives and cannot move freely,” he said, adding that the African Union should step in and impose sanctions.
What the Senate Actually Did
Oshiomhole’s proposal to revoke the operational licences of MTN and DStv was ultimately declined on procedural grounds. The Senate President emphasised diplomatic engagement as the preferred path, stating that economic retaliation against businesses would not be the preferred course of action.
Instead, the Senate resolved to constitute a joint ad hoc committee of the Senate and House of Representatives to address the rising cases of xenophobic attacks. The committee, to be led by the chairman of the National Assembly, will undertake a fact-finding and diplomatic visit to South Africa and formally express Nigeria’s displeasure to the South African Parliament.
The House of Representatives had already condemned the attacks and mandated its Committee on Foreign Affairs to work with the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria to establish a 24-hour emergency response desk and a legal aid fund for affected citizens.
In other words, more letters. More visits. More expressions of displeasure.
The Numbers That Make Oshiomhole’s Case
Whether you agree with his approach or not, the economic leverage he is pointing to is real.
MTN Nigeria is one of the largest companies on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, with over 80 million subscribers and revenue in the hundreds of billions of naira annually. MultiChoice, operator of DStv, holds a dominant position in Nigeria’s pay-television market with millions of subscribers. Both companies repatriate significant profits to South Africa each year from one of Africa’s largest consumer markets.
The argument that South Africa has far more to lose economically from a serious Nigerian retaliation than Nigeria does from South African hostility is not without basis. Nigeria is South Africa’s largest trading partner on the continent. South African companies, from retail to telecoms to media, depend on Nigerian consumers in a way that does not work in reverse.
SEE ALSO: Who’s the Mystery Lady Adams Oshiomhole Gave a Massage to on a Private Jet?
The Bigger Picture
This is not the first time Nigeria has found itself at this crossroads. Major outbreaks of xenophobic violence in 2008, 2015, and 2019 saw Nigerians targeted in widespread attacks, with Nigeria at times recalling envoys and evacuating citizens. What makes this moment distinctive is the growing domestic pressure demanding more than condemnation. Nigerian citizens want action. Their lawmakers are listening.
Whether that pressure finally translates into action beyond committee visits and strongly worded letters is the question Nigerians have been asking for nearly two decades.
Oshiomhole’s proposal was rejected on Tuesday. But the fact that it was made at all, loudly, publicly, and on the floor of the Senate, tells you that patience in Abuja is running thinner than it ever has before.
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