Africa
By Anayo Ezugwu
THE Republic of Ghana has rejected the Nigerian government’s accusations of intimidation and maltreatment of its nationals in the country. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, minister of information in Ghana, said it was incorrect to suggest Nigerians were being targeted for maltreatment in Ghana.
In a six-page response to allegations by Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture of Nigeria, Nkrumah denied the allegations and provided detailed explanations of what has been described as maltreatment. He denied the report that Nigerians shops were closed in the country.
According to Nkrumah, there is evidence that some individuals, including Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians, had been involved in various forms of trade, without complying with the laws and regulations of Ghana. He said several engagements and prior advice had been given to encourage compliance but they failed.
“Ghana’s Minister for Trade and Industry personally intervened to ensure the reopening of closed shops, pending compliance with Ghana’s laws by their operators. Among other corrective measures, the Committee on Foreigners in Retail Trade, comprising representatives of various regulatory agencies and institutions in Ghana, was tasked with the responsibility of conducting inspections of retail shops in designated commercial districts in both Accra and Kumasi to ensure compliance with retail trade laws and regulations.
“The compliance exercises conducted in the selected markets revealed gross violations of retail trade laws and regulations by Ghanaians and foreigners, including Nigerians. These violations included tax evasion, immigration offenses, trading in sub-standard products, and violation of the Ghana Investment. Promotion Centre (GIPC) law, improper registration of firms, under-payment of business operating permits and falsification of documents, among others.
“In all cases, non-compliant shop owners are given adequate notice to regularize their documents, before action is taken to close any shop/business. It is an incontestable fact that there is widespread abuse and disregard for local laws and regulations governing retail trade by some foreigners, including Nigerians, which need to be addressed without discrimination. It is important to note that the compliance exercise under reference is not restricted to either ECOWAS nationals or Nigerians for that matter, but extend to all individuals engaged in retail trade, including Ghanaians,” he said.
Nkrumah noted that Ghana remains committed to cordial relationship with Nigeria and other West African countries. “Ghana remains committed to the maintenance of warm relations with all sister nations, particularly, for well-known historical reasons, with the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and will proceed to engage the Federal Government of Nigeria with a view to resolve comprehensively and exhaustively any matters that have the potential to sour relations between the two countries.”
The Ghanaian minister accused Nigeria of breaking ECOWAS protocols. He advised Nigerian government to use diplomatic means in settling any passive maltreatment. “Nigeria, on the other hand, is on record to have taken a number of steps in recent months, in pursuit of her national interests, which have gravely affected other countries in the region. These include the closure of Nigeria’s Seme Krake Border from August 2019 to date and the issuance of executive orders by Nigeria’s Presidency, preventing foreigners from getting jobs which Nigerians can do, to mention a few.
“Ghana and other West African countries continue to believe redress to even actions like these can be sought, diplomatically, without resort to media statements and related activities that have the potential to aggravate further the situation.
“The aforementioned notwithstanding, the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who values very much his excellent relations with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Muhammadou Buhari, will engage President Buhari with a view to develop immediately a framework for validating claims of ill treatment of citizens of either country, and ensure citizens enjoy the full exercise of their rights, while respecting the sovereignty and laws of both countries. Ghana and Nigeria, as they have been doing, must continue to work together for a successful West Africa,” he said.
– Sept. 1 2020 @ 14:09 GMT |
Tags: Ghana denies accusations of intimidation maltreatment of Nigerians
