“We’ll No Longer Tolerate Harassment Of Our Citizens In Ghana” – Nigerian Government Warns

Nigerian Government has warned that the continuous hostility and harassment of its nationals who are trading in Ghana, will no longer be tolerated.

In a statement issued on Friday, the minister of culture and tourism, Lai Mohammed, said that the government is urgently considering a number of options aimed at alleviating the situation.

Mohammed noted that over one million Ghanaians are resident in Nigeria and they are not being maltreated like Nigerian nationals in Ghana.

He said the federal government had been documenting the acts of hostility towards Nigeria and Nigerians by the Ghanaian authorities.

“These include the seizure of the Nigerian Mission’s property located at No. 10, Barnes Road, Accra, which the Nigerian Government has used as diplomatic premises for almost 50 years. This action is a serious breach of the Vienna Convention.

“Demolition of the Nigerian Mission’s property located at No. 19/21 Julius Nyerere Street, East Ridge, Accra, another serious breach of the Vienna Convention.

“Aggressive and incessant deportation of Nigerians from Ghana. Between January 2018 and February 2019, 825 Nigerians were deported from Ghana.

“Closure of shops belonging to Nigerians. Over 300 Nigerians shops were locked for four months in Kumasi in 2018; over 600 Nigerian shops were locked in 2019 and, currently, over 250 Nigerians shops have been locked.

“Residency Permit requirements, for which the Ghana Immigration Service has placed huge fees, far higher than the fees charged by the Nigerian Immigration Service.

“These include the compulsory, non-citizen ID card (US$120, and US$60 for yearly renewal); medical examinations, including for COVID-19 which is newly- introduced (about US$120), and payment for residency permit (US$400 compared to the N7,000 being paid by Ghanaians for residency card in Nigeria).”

The minister continued: “Outrageous stipulations in the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre Act. When the Act was initially promulgated in 1994, a foreigner is required to invest at least US$300,000 by way of equity capital and also employ 10 Ghanaians.

“This Act has now been amended twice, with the 2018 GIPC Act raising the minimum capital base for foreign-owned businesses to US$1 million. Though targeted at foreigners, it seems GIPC’s definition of foreigners is Nigerians. The GIPC Act also negates the ECOWAS Protocol.”

The minister also said that the negative reportage of issues concerning Nigerians resident in Ghana by the Ghanaian media is fuelling an emerging xenophobic attitude towards Nigerian traders and Nigerians in general.

Mohammed affirmed that said the immediate fallout of these acts by Ghana is the incessant harassment and arrest of Nigerian traders and closure of their shops.

The minister also decried the harsh and openly-biased judicial trial and pronouncement of indiscriminately-long jail terms for convicted Nigerians. There are currently over 200 Nigerians in the Naswam maximum prison in Ghana alone.

The minister said that the federal government would like to put on record that even though over 1 million Ghanaians are resident in Nigeria, they are not being subjected to the kind of hostility being meted out to Nigerians in Ghana.

Also, he said even though the main reason given for the seizure of federal government property at No. 10, Barnes Road in Accra was the non-renewal of lease after expiration, the Ghanaian authorities did not give Nigeria the right of first refusal or the notice to renew the lease.

“By contrast, the lease on some of the properties occupied by the Ghanaian Mission in Nigeria has long expired, yet such properties have not been seized,” he said.

The minister said Nigeria had time after time demonstrated its fidelity to the long cordial relations with Ghana.

He, however, averred that indications, especially in recent times, are that Nigeria’s stance is now being taken for granted and its citizens being made targets of harassment and objects of ridicule.

“This will no longer be tolerated under any guise. In the meantime, the federal government wishes to appeal to its citizens resident in Ghana to remain law abiding and avoid engaging in self-help, despite their ordeal,” he added.

This is coming one week after Nigerian traders in Ghana said they are ready to return home following the closure of their shops by Ghanaian security agents over non-payment of the imposed $1 million tax.