The Nigerian government says it’s far deeply involved via the “incessant harassment” of its citizens in Ghana and the acts of hostility toward them of a, with the aid of Ghanaian government, and could not tolerate such.
This comes at the returned of the protracted retail war between Nigerian traders in Ghana and the Ghana Union of investors affiliation (GUTA).
The Ghana investment advertising Centre laws bar foreigners from retail change but foreigners in the quarter, mainly Nigerians, say the law is against the ECOWAS protocols on unfastened trade.
lately, ninety two foreign-owned shops suspected to belong to Nigerians have been closed down in Kumasi, the capital of Ghana’s Ashanti area.
The Nigerian government, in a statement via its information Ministry, said it’s far urgently considering a number of options aimed at ameliorating the state of affairs.
The announcement stated: “The Federal government has been documenting the acts of hostility toward Nigeria and Nigerians through the Ghanaian authorities.
these consist of:
– Seizure of the Nigerian project’s property located at No. 10, Barnes road, Accra, which the Nigerian government has used as diplomatic premises for almost 50 years. This motion is a extreme breach of the Vienna convention.
– Demolition of the Nigerian mission’s belongings positioned at No. 19/21 Julius Nyerere street, East Ridge, Accra, any other critical breach of the Vienna conference.
– competitive and constant deportation of Nigerians from Ghana. among Jan. 2018 and Feb. 2019, 825 Nigerians have been deported from Ghana.
– Closure of stores belonging to Nigerians. Over three hundred Nigerians stores had been locked for four months in Kumasi in 2018; over six hundred Nigerian stores were locked in 2019 and, currently, over 250 Nigerians stores had been locked.
– Residency allow necessities, for which the Ghana Immigration provider has placed huge fees, a long way better than the charges charged by means of the Nigerian Immigration provider. these include the obligatory Non-citizen identity card (US$120, and US$60 for yearly renewal); scientific examinations, which include for Covid-19 that’s newly-introduced (approximately US$a hundred and twenty), and fee for residency allow (US$four hundred in comparison to the N7,000 being paid via Ghanaians for residency card in Nigeria)
– Outrageous conditions within the Ghana funding advertising Centre Act. whilst the Act became to start with promulgated in 1994, a foreigner is required to make investments as a minimum US$300,000 by using manner of equity capital and also employ 10 Ghanaians. This Act has now been amended two times, with the 2018 GIPC Act elevating the minimal capital base for foreign-owned businesses to US$1m. even though focused at foreigners, it seems GIPC’s definition of foreigners is Nigerians. The GIPC Act additionally negates the ECOWAS Protocol.
– Media war in opposition to Nigerians in Ghana. The negative reportage of problems concerning Nigerians resident in Ghana via the Ghanaian media is fuelling an rising xenophobic mindset towards Nigerian investors and Nigerians in wellknown. The immediate fallout is the incessant harassment and arrest of Nigerian investors and closure of their stores.
– Harsh and brazenly-biased judicial trial and pronouncement of indiscriminately-long prison phrases for convicted Nigerians. There are currently over 2 hundred Nigerians inside the Nsawam maximum jail in Ghana by myself.”
The Nigerian authorities stated it’s going to like to place on report the truth that despite the fact that over 1,000,000 Ghanaians are resident in Nigeria, “they are no longer being subjected to the form of hostility being meted out to Nigerians in Ghana.”
Touching at the brouhaha concerning the demolition of a property allegedly belonging to the Nigerian high commission in Ghana, the announcement said: “even though the main motive given for the seizure of Federal government belongings at No. 10, Barnes road in Accra is the non-renewal of rent after expiration, the Ghanaian authorities did no longer provide Nigeria the right of first refusal or the notice to renew the rent. by means of evaluation, the lease on some of the properties occupied by means of the Ghanaian challenge in Nigeria has long expired, but such homes have not been seized.”
The assertion cited that Nigeria has time after time tested its constancy to the long cordial relations with Ghana but indicators, especially nowadays, are that Nigeria’s stance is now being taken for granted and its residents being made objectives of harassment and items of ridicule. “this may no longer be tolerated under any guise,” the statement brought.
within the period in-between, Nigeria has appealed to its citizens resident in Ghana to stay regulation-abiding and avoid undertaking self-assist notwithstanding their ordeal. Share…