By Eric Elezuo
Following weeks of escalating differences between Nigerians living in Ghana, and their Ghanaian hosts, leading to protests, threats against the Nigerian population in the country and calls to vacate the country, in what was tagged ‘Nigeria Must Go’, the President of the Republic of Ghana, Dr. John Dramani Mahama, has said emphatically that there is no room for xenophobia in the West African country. He insisted that Nigerians living in Ghana are safe.
Mahama made the disclosure while receiving Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu’s special envoy led by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu at the Presidential Palace, in Accra, Ghana.
Mahama’s assurance is contained in a statement released by the Special Assistant on Communication and New Media to the minister, Magnus Eze, which reiterated the Ghana’s President’s commitment to advancing the ECOWAS protocols, especially pertaining to the free movement of persons and goods in the region.
The statement further quoted Mahama as asking the envoy to convey his message to President Tinubu, urging that he should not lose sleep over recent protests against Nigerian nationals resident in his country.
He stated that Nigeria and Ghana have a shared history.
“Tell President Tinubu not to lose sleep over the recent protests. Nigeria and Ghana are brothers with a shared history, and we won’t allow anything to come between us,” the statement quoted the Ghanian President as saying.
“The recirculation of an old video made by a Nigerian residing in Ghana over 10 years ago actually generated tension, but gladly, the situation was swiftly managed.
“The protesters were not more than 50. I assure the envoy of the safety and protection of the lives, properties and businesses of Nigeria and Nigerians in Ghana.”
A group of Ghanaians had recently staged a protest accusing Nigerians living in Ghana of prostitution and ritual killings.
In a viral video clip of the protest, a large crowd of protesters was seen holding placards with messages such as: “Nigeria must go,” “Armed robbery and violent attacks must stop,” “Our health is at risk due to mass prostitution,” “Who protects the rights and freedoms of Ghanaians?”
BACKGROUND OF THE ‘NIGERIA MUST GO’ PROTEST
Though Nigeria and Ghana have over the years enjoyed a friendly relationship both on individual and government basis, problem erupted when a handful of Ghanaians faulted a certain Igbo’ king, who they claimed is planning to set up an ‘Igbo Kingdom’ in Ghana.
In the four-minute-long video, which was made in 2013, and seen by The Punch, one Chukwudi Ihenetu, a businessman based in Ghana, revealed that he had acquired 50 acres of land in Ghana to build an Igbo Village, which, according to him, would consist of a market, a guest house, Eze Ndigbo palace, a 2,000-capacity town hall and streets named after Igbo leaders.
“I’m creating an Igbo village which has never happened in the history of Igbos in the world. As I’m talking to you, I have acquired 50 acres of land, which is 250 plots of land along the Aflao road in the Old Ningo area. The reason for acquiring this land is to build an Igbo village in Ghana, which I call Ama Ndigbo in Ghana.
“We will build the village, and in this village, we are going to build the palace of Eze Igbo, a huge palace. We will build an Igbo town hall with about 2,000 and a 100-room guest house. The essence of this guest house is to accommodate our governors and other Igbo great leaders when they come to Ghana with their entourage. We will also accommodate some of our people who have accommodation,” Ihenetu said.
He added, “In the village, we will create streets that will represent the names of ancient Igbos, like Sam Mbakwe, Nnamdi Azikiwe, my father and other great leaders of Igbo that have gone and those that are present.
“In this village, every Igbo man all over the world will come and buy property, whether you want a plot or two plots of land to build your dream house. We will build Igbo market, school and Eze Igbo garden, and from there Igbo people will expand.”
But a Ghana-based media strategist SoG Precious, who spoke during an interview on Channels Television, noted that Ghanaians were growing increasingly frustrated with the conduct and alleged criminal activities of some Nigerians living in the country.
Precious said the protest was triggered by incidents of abduction, killings, and rising prostitution in parts of Ghana, with some Nigerians at the centre of the accusations.
“I believe that the protest sent a message, and the message was very clear that Ghanaians are kind of fed up with some characters of some Nigerians that are living in Ghana,” Precious said.
He said the most recent protests were not isolated but stemmed from accumulated grievances.
“The people of Ghana feel that they have been too good to the people, that they feel Nigerians are trying to take advantage of their kindness, so I think, basically, that is what has ignited this whole protest,” he said.
Precious also acknowledged that the Ghanaian government is working to manage the situation and prevent it from escalating.
He added that beyond official interventions, local institutions are also stepping up.
NIGERIANS IN GHANA RESPOND, ALLEGE DISCRIMINATION
In a The Punch report over the weekend, members of the Nigerian community lamented that they have been subjected to persistent discrimination and victimisation, particularly by Ghanaian landlords.
They cited instances of exorbitant house rents imposed specifically on Nigerian tenants, as well as the selective enforcement of business regulations that disproportionately affect Nigerian-owned enterprises.
A businessman, Patrick Isaac, who spoke to The Punch, lamented astronomical house rents and discriminatory business practices targeted specifically at Nigerian tenants.
Isaac described the protest as an attempt by some Ghanaians who are not happy with the success of Nigerian traders to provoke them into attacking Ghanaians, thereby causing a diplomatic crisis between the two African nations.
“This has been going on for long. We knew the protest was going to happen, and we were prepared for them. There was a meeting of Igbo traders in Ghana, and we were told not to react to their provocation during the protest because their plan was to provoke us into attacking them, thereby leading to a serious diplomatic crisis between Nigeria and Ghana,” he said.
He insisted that the protest was not a response to the actions or utterances of a self-proclaimed Igbo leader in Ghana, Chukwudi Ihenetu, but a reflection of growing hostility towards Nigerians, especially those involved in small businesses and informal trade.
“Most Nigerians here are victims of certain prejudices. When you go to rent an apartment or office space, you are already presumed to have too much money just because you are Nigerian, even when you are just someone trying to survive. When a Ghanaian pays 1,000 Cedis for rent, you may be asked to pay five times more, and if you can’t, you are chased away.
“As a Nigerian, when you rent a shop or an apartment, they (Ghanaians) triple your rent in such a way that you are forced to leave so that they can come in and continue that kind of business which you have been doing.
“The protest does not have anything to do with the utterances of the young man (Chukwudi Ihenetu), who is the leader of the Igbo community. The comments he made were not really the reasons for this outburst; it is because a Nigerian who is a trader here has a higher living standard, quality of life and lives in a better apartment than an average Ghanaian. This is the motivation behind the ‘Nigerians Must Go’ protest,” Isaac said.
He alleged that the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana had failed to take decisive action to protect the interests of its citizens.
According to him, the mission has remained largely silent in the face of increasing harassment, discriminatory policies, and targeted crackdowns on Nigerian businesses.
The paper also quoted another Nigerian trader who requested anonymity, as describing the protest as a calculated attempt to force Nigerian traders out of business and limit their growing influence in the local market.
He cited the proposed Ghana Investment Promotion Centre $1m levy as part of the scheme by the country to frustrate foreigners, particularly Nigerian retail traders, out of business.
The GIPC mandates every foreign investor in Ghana to either provide $1m in cash or raw materials before being legally recognised to do business in the country.
“This has been going on for a long time; each time they (Ghanaians) see any Nigerian trader thriving, they try to pull them down. It started in 2017 when they tried to enact a law that no foreigner should engage in retail trading; they said we can do wholesale trading while we employ their indigenes. They tried to enact the law, which affected some of us in the spare parts and electronics business.
“In 2019, it was so massive that all Nigerian shops were closed. This victimisation against Nigerians is becoming too much, and now they are targeting the Igbos because they know that we are the ones doing the business here and we have a very strong hold because we have the Igbo festival and other things we do,” he said.
Also bemoaning the discrimination faced by Nigerians in the housing sector, a fashion designer from Imo State, Emmanuel Chubike, said Nigerian tenants are increasingly being targeted by Ghanaian landlords due to growing tensions between both communities.
“Before you get an apartment here, you will go through hell because some Nigerians who are into criminal activities have given the country a bad name.
“I have received reports from many of my friends saying that their landlords have issued quit notices and asked them to vacate once their rents expire. My own landlord has also increased my rent by 50 per cent, and it is clear this is because of the perceived hatred going on between Nigerians and Ghanaians,” Chubike said.
He appealed to the Ghanaian government to intervene and discourage unfair treatment, while urging both governments to work towards promoting mutual respect and peaceful coexistence between citizens of the two countries.
THE ROAD TO PEACE, RECONCILIATION
As the protest escalates, President Tinubu had to sent a deputation, led by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who visited the country to de-escalate the situation.
During a joint press briefing in Ghana, the Minister called for peace, noting that relevant authorities in both Nigeria and Ghana are addressing the issue.
According to Mrs Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the viral video caused anxiety, necessitating her visit to the country for a firsthand assessment of the situation.
She, however, noted that contrary to the impressions created online, there were no visible signs of unrest, such as street protests or public demonstrations calling for the deportation of Nigerians.
“Since I arrived, I haven’t seen people burning tyres in the streets or carrying placards everywhere calling for Nigerians to be deported.
“This shows that the Ghanaian government and the president have stepped up to the situation. I would say there’s no cause for alarm, they are handling the situation effectively, and we will continue engaging stakeholders,” she said.
She also explained that the Nigerian delegation had met with some of the individuals involved in the protest, as part of efforts to de-escalate tensions.
Similarly, Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Ablakwa, noted that the ministry is working on the concerns raised by the protesters and has begun engaging with leaders of the Nigerian community.
“The Ghanaian government will ensure that everyone in the country, citizens and non-citizens, is protected,” he said.
The assurances of President Mahama notwithstanding, the Nigerian community in Ghana, has described the protest as “deeply unsettling”, expressing the fear that Nigerian nationals may be targeted for attack in the future, stressing that there was a need for increased security presence in areas with large Nigerian populations to prevent any possible outbreak of violence, the calmness of the situation at the moment notwithstanding.
FLASHBACK TO 1983 ‘GHANA MUST GO’ PROTEST IN NIGERIA
Many analysts, observers and watchers of affairs have dismissed the protest in Ghana as a form of retaliation considering the events of 1983 when the administration of Alhaji Shehu Shagari supervised the deportation of Ghanaians from Nigeria.
An estimated two million undocumented migrants of West African origin living in the country, half of which were Ghanaian, have been mandated to leave Nigeria in a two-weeks ultimatum.
“If they don’t leave, they should be arrested and tried and sent back to their homes. Illegal immigrants, under normal circumstances, should not be given any notice whatsoever,” President Shagari had said in a message on that early January 17, 1983 broadcast.
The unprecedented movement, which left in its wake, the popular Ghana Must Go bag, has remained a watershed in the history of Africa, especially between Ghana and Nigeria.
42 years after, Ghanaians seems to be on a revenge mission.
But the magnanimity of President John Mahama has brought the matter to a peaceful end.
