Published
4 years agoon
The Nigerian government says it is deeply concerned by the “incessant harassment” of its citizens in Ghana and the acts of hostility toward the country by Ghanaian authorities, and will no longer tolerate such.
This comes on the back of the protracted retail war between Nigerian traders in Ghana and the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA).
The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre laws bar foreigners from retail trade but foreigners in the sector, especially Nigerians, say the law is against the ECOWAS protocols on free trade.
Recently, 92 foreign-owned shops suspected to belong to Nigerians were closed down in Kumasi, the capital of Ghana’s Ashanti region.
The Nigerian government, in a statement by its Information Ministry, said it is urgently considering a number of options aimed at ameliorating the situation.
The statement said: “The Federal government has been documenting the acts of hostility towards Nigeria and Nigerians by the Ghanaian authorities.
These include:
The Nigerian government said it will like to put on record the fact that even though over one million Ghanaians are resident in Nigeria, “they are not being subjected to the kind of hostility being meted out to Nigerians in Ghana.”
Touching on the brouhaha concerning the demolition of a property allegedly belonging to the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana, the statement said: “Even though the main reason given for the seizure of Federal Government property at No. 10, Barnes Road in Accra is 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.”
The statement noted that Nigeria has time after time demonstrated its fidelity to the long cordial relations with Ghana but 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,” the statement added.
In the meantime, Nigeria has appealed to its citizens resident in Ghana to remain law-abiding and avoid engaging in self-help despite their ordeal.
Source: classfmonline.com