The Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, His Excellency Gambo Yusuf Hamza, has appealed to the government of Ghana to reopen shops owned by Nigerians that have been locked up.
According to him, the closure of these shops has rendered the affected Nigerians penniless and has resulted in most of them begging to eke out a living. The Nigerian envoy argues that Ghanaians and Nigerians are brothers and that they are only divided by what he describes as “a colonial artificial boundary.”
Speaking during a courtesy call on the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr. Simon Osei-Mensah, in Kumasi on Monday, this week, the Aso Rock representative acknowledged that when people reside at place, there are bound to be some irritants.
He nevertheless appealed to the good office of the Ashanti Regional Minister to look into some of the problems, especially the locking up of shops belonging to Nigerians by the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA).
Mr Yusuf Hamza hailed the Ashanti regional minister for the cordial relationship he has had with the Nigerian community in the region, adding that they know Mr Osei-Mensah was doing his best, but pleaded that he doubles his efforts to ensure that Nigerians live in peace.
“Minister, I want to inform you that Nigerians are not competitors to Ghanaians, but they are brothers. Nigerians and Ghanaians are brothers. What we are appealing to you to use your good office to do is to look into the closure of the shops of these Nigerians. If the Ghanaian authorities, or by extension GUTA, want a sort of compromise between the traders and authorities in the host community, we are ready for that.
“This is their only means of livelihood and the shops are closed. Some of them have resorted to begging to feed their families, which of course I know you will not want this sort of situation to happen within your domain”, he said.
Apart from this economic challenge, the Acting Nigerian High Commissioner expressed worry over the delay in the acquisition of residence permits for Nigerians in the Ashanti Region.
“The issue of Residence Permit is becoming a challenge for Nigerians in Ghana. Several Nigerians have applied, but up till now, there is no response and I do not want to say it is deliberate, but I want the honourable minister to look into that for us”, he pleaded.
Touching on the engagement of some Nigerians in prostitution in the region, Ambassador Gambo expressed worry over the development, since some are even underage and ought not to have indulged themselves in such a trade.
He subsequently appealed to Osei-Mensah to investigate the locals that are supporting these prostitutes.
“When we look at human trafficking and committing of unholy acts which are not accepted in our African culture, maybe we have some locals, who could be Nigerians, Ghanaians, or whatever within.
“We plead with you to use your good office so that the society of Ghana will be free and our girls that are being brought from Nigeria would be sent back or helped if they want to start a meaningful life”, he said.
Mr Simon Osei-Mensah on his part told the Nigerian envoy that in relations, no matter what you do, there are some benefits and difficulties and that the two nations need to build and strengthen this relationship, stressing that Ghana and Nigeria cannot do away with each other.
“Whilst Ghanaians will be insisting that the retail business is a preserve of Ghanaians, the Nigerians will quote relevant laws, which say we are not foreigners, so far as the protocols of free movement of goods and persons are concerned,” Osei-Mensah said, adding that “each nation is arguing from a legal point of view, so we need two heads of state to iron out this challenge once and for all. If Ghana and Nigeria fight, then the whole West African trade collapses. Anytime you have a problem just come to me and also advise your colleagues that all of us should be law-abiding so that we do not fall into unnecessary traps or problems”.
He, therefore, requested that the heads of state of Ghana and Nigeria should come together with their ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Trade and Industry to resolve the issue.
On the chronic GUTA and Nigerian traders’ saga, the Ashanti Regional minister explained to his Nigerian guest that because the Coordinating Council is not a ministry, whatever directive or activity they undertake ends up at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that of Trade and Industry. According to Osei-Mensah, there is some form of conflict between the ECOWAS protocol on the free movement of goods and persons and domestic laws, which to him, must be resolved at the level of the heads of state, because it would be difficult for a regional minister to resolve this particular it.
Osei-Mensah, who served in ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja for eight years, indicated that when it comes to commercial activities, Nigerians are very good at it in Kumasi.
On the issue of Nigerians engaging in prostitution in the Ashanti region, Osei-Mensah noted that the Regional Security Council will try their best to find out if there is are brothels in the region, where Nigerians are hiding to engage in vices. He also promised to engage the Nigerian community in Kumasi on how best to deal with the issue.
Touching on the manhandling of Nigerians when they are arrested by the security agencies, Mr. Simon Osei-Mensah indicated that he has a big problem with that, emphasising that when the Nigerians are arrested, he might not be there to know how they are handled.
On the delay in issuance of residence permits to Nigerians in Kumasi, Osei-Mensah assured his Nigerian guest that he would put in a word for him, adding that both nations should put their heads together and discuss with Ministry of Interior to see how the process of acquiring a residence permit can be expedited.
The post Please Mr Minister, Nigerians In Ghana Are Broke appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS