President John Dramani Mahama has moved to allay considerations amongst Nigerian nationals residing in Ghana and their authorities, assuring a particular envoy dispatched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that there shall be no mass deportations.
Throughout a courtesy go to from Nigeria’s Minister of State for Overseas Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, President Mahama pressured that Ghana has no intention of finishing up mass expulsions. He highlighted the deep historic ties and mutual reliance between the 2 international locations.
He reaffirmed Ghana’s adherence to ECOWAS protocols and dismissed anxieties in Nigeria in regards to the potential deportation of its residents from Ghana following the circulation of a viral video.
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Minister Odumegwu-Ojukwu conveyed the considerations of the Nigerian individuals and authorities, referring to the video, rising fears of mass deportations, and stories of threats to Nigerian-owned retailers.
She famous that the problem had prompted emergency classes in Nigeria’s Nationwide Meeting, with some conventional leaders advising kinfolk in Ghana to return dwelling.
President Mahama acknowledged the longstanding bonds between the 2 international locations, describing them as siblings of the identical mother and father and affirming that their destinies are linked.
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He recalled previous cases of mass deportations by Ghana within the Sixties and Nigeria within the Eighties, calling them unlucky chapters within the area’s historical past. He mentioned such actions belong to the previous and may by no means be repeated. “I imagine that neither of our international locations ought to ever once more mass deport our residents,” he said.
Reinforcing Ghana’s dedication to regional cooperation, he added, “We’re members of ECOWAS, and the ECOWAS protocol permits our residents to journey freely between our international locations.”
President Mahama clarified that whereas there have been remoted incidents involving people engaged in felony exercise, these issues are dealt with by way of acceptable authorized channels. Ghana doesn’t practise collective punishment, and international residents who break the regulation shall be held individually accountable.
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He attributed the current tensions to the resurfacing of a 2013 video by which an “Igbo king” spoke about buying land for a kingdom. This video, he defined, was misinterpreted as a present improvement. He dismissed the ensuing uproar as a storm in a teacup and guaranteed the Nigerian delegation that the institution of conventional councils in Ghana is ruled strictly by nationwide regulation, making such exterior claims invalid.
Minister Odumegwu-Ojukwu recommended President Mahama for serving to to calm a probably risky scenario. She noticed that the fears of widespread unrest previous to their arrival in Accra had confirmed to be unfounded.
