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Dele Momodu Reacts to Closure of Nigerian-Owned Shops in Ghana, Promises Palliatives to Affected Traders

Published

5 years ago

August 19, 2020

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

The Chairman of Ovation Media Group, Chief Dele Momodu, has reacted to the closure of some shops owned by Nigerian businessmen and women in Ghana, saying that the action clearly makes a mess of the Black Lives Matter campaign which has engulfed the world in recent times.

The celebrated journalist, who expressed his displeasure via a press statement made available to The Boss Newspapers, regretted the action of the Ghana authorities and promised a level of palliatives for the displaced Nigerian business men and women in the spirit of brotherliness.

While calling on well meaning Africans and peoples of the world to stand up against the ‘atrocious laws’ he also frowned at the stupendous amount of $1 million, which the Ghana authorities imposed on the Nigerian traders before they could pursue their legitimate endeavours on the Ghanaian soil, asking “How many companies in the world started business with such stupendous amount?”

Read Momodu’s full statement with full list of traders whose shops were closed:

“I note with sadness the viral videos of Nigerian investors being flogged and thrown out of their shops in Ghana. As an avowed pan-Africanist and a fanatical disciple of former Ghanaian President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, I have become traumatized about the future of Africa. The Osagyefo must be seething with anger and rage in his grave, if he could see how Africans are treating themselves at this time and age.

“Just imagine that this is coming at a momentous period when the world is campaigning that BLACK LIVES MATTER, but Nigerians are being kicked around like football by our closest Brothers and friends. And what is the excuse for this act? An incredibly brutal “Law” which stipulates that foreign small-scale traders must invest $1 million in the Ghanaian economy. How many companies in the world started business with such a stupendous amount? If the Europeans and Americans had promulgated such Laws against Nigerians and Ghanaians living abroad, many of us would have accused them of racism and discrimination. What is worse, some of these traders actually have their valid papers and registered long before the coming of this atrocious requirement by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, but the Law enforcers blatantly refused to listen to the cries of these hardworking but hapless traders.

“Another excuse is that they claimed Nigeria shut its borders against neighboring countries. While I agree that the decision to shut our borders is regrettable, this has nothing to do with Ghana. No Ghanaian has been asked not to do business in Nigeria. No Ghanaian has been asked to invest any compulsory amount of money before setting up shops in Nigeria. We make immigrants totally welcome here. I once intervened on behalf of a Ghanaian couple when their factory was going to be demolished amongst some illegal structures in Agbara Estate. I had to call the then Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, who exempted the Ghanaians on the compassionate grounds that they were Ghanaian investors in Nigeria.

Nigerians and Ghanaians have been too interwoven and inter-marrying for ages, including the current President of Ghana, the great Nana Akufo-Addo who was once an in-law of Nigeria. His cousin, Adelaide Ofori-Atta, was married to Chief Sammy Oluseun Olagbaju, a prominent Nigerian Businessman who died in 2016. Myma Adwowa Belo-Osagie, Princess Abba Folawiyo, Mrs Edith Korantema Koranteng Fajemirokun, are amongst many Ghanaian women married to prominent Nigerian families.

My personal love for Ghana, and respect for Ghanaians, has never been in doubt. I have been the Chief Promoter of Ghana to the world in the past 25 years. I once worked closely with The Hon. Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, of blessed memory, Ghana’s Minister of Tourism and Diasporan Relations in the cabinet of President John Agyekum Kufuor. Ovation International magazine was instrumental in showcasing the pristine beauty of Ghana to a global audience at the time. Many Nigerian companies started expanding their operations to Ghana, based on the positive stories we sold to the world, especially Nigeria. Today, Nigerians control huge investments in Banking, Oil & Gas, Telecommunications, Real Estate, Retail, Entertainment, Education, Hospitality, Tourism, Medicals, Aviation, Shipping, Transportation, Textiles, Churches, etc.

I’m saddened that all our efforts of those days are about to be wasted by this latest imbroglio.

“I have reached out, and obtained the full names and phone contacts of the Nigerian traders mostly affected by this unfortunate and unnecessary incidents. Each of them will receive my humble widow’s mite, with no strings attached and no political motives whatsoever. My motivation is just the fact that we should be our Brother’s keepers at all times.

I implore men and women of good conscience to stand up and intervene speedily in this matter. God bless The Federal Republic of Nigeria and The Republic of Ghana.”

LIST OF NIGERIAN TRADERS AFFECTED BY THE FORCEFUL CLOSURE OF SHOPS IN ACCRA, GHANA

1. CHUKWUEMEKA IHEJIRIKA

2 PAUL OKECHUKWU

3 JUSTINE IKECHUKWU NWACHUKWU

4 BLESSING UGWUOKE

5 CHINEDU MBANUGO VALENTINE

6 LOVETH CHUKWUEMEKA

7 JOHNSON ARINZE

8 PAULINK GLOBAL DIGITAL

9 GODWIN OGBU FRANCIS

10 SAMSON ANAYOANIAWA

11 TITUS EZEMA UGWOKE

12 TONY IZUCHUKWU ANYAEGBU

13 UGOCHUKWU UCHENNA ONUOHA

14 CHIKWENDU IKE NDUBUISI

15 IBEH KINGSLEY

16 DAVID IKECHUKWU MUANYA

17 AUGUSTINE EKWOH

18 OLIVER OMEKE

19 OKAAH OBURUZO

20 JONAS UGWOKE UGWUOGO

21 OBINNA LUCKY

22 EZE VICTOR CHINEDU

23 STANLEY UMEALAEKWE

24 IGBONAJU DESMOND

25 OKEKE NELSON

26 UGWOE ERNEST

27 ANI EMEKA SOLOMON

28 CHUKWUEMEKA T. P ONYEKAONWU

29 GOODLUCK MADUABUCHI OKWARA

30 OKECHUKWU SAMUEL

31 CHRISTOPHER UBANATU

32 INNOCENT UDE

33 CHINEDU DESMOND NWABURUEBU

34 KINGSLEY EJIKE MBADIWE

35 OKECHUKWU IFEAKANWA

36 BENJAMIN ONAH

37 TOCHUKWU JULIUS EZEH

38 UGWU ALPHONSUS IFEANYI

39 AMAKA VICTORIA

40 OHAYI CHIGBOGU PAUL

41 TITUS CHINASA

42 OLISA ADINDU KINGSLEY

43 EZE PAUL TOCHUKWU

44 IGWE PAUL IKECHUKWU

45 STEVEN OKOYE

46 OSMOND OSINACHI OKOYE

47 UDOKA NZELU

48 UGWU ONYEKA JOE

49 UGWUMADU ONYEDIKA CALLISTUS

50 CHUKWU VICTOR PAUL

51 FAMOUS HANNAH

52 KELVIN MAMAH

53 EZE SUNDAY

54 MARTIN ANAKUDO ARINZE

55 VIINE OBI NWODO

56 PETER TOCHUKWU

57 UGWOKE PATRICK

58 EMMANUEL OHEAKESI

59 UGONNANYA CANDY EZE

60 BENNEDICT REUBEN (TIGO)

61 NWAZUOKE CHRISTOPHER CHUKWUDI

62 RAYMOND UGWU

63 NKOKU NDUBUISI JACOB

64 UDENYI LEONARD

65 RICHARD DOUGLAS

66 JAMES UZAR KINGSLEY

67 ONUORAH EBUKA DESTINY

68 CHUKS EZE

69 SUNDAY JOSEPH

70 FRESSY EZE

71 KINGSLEY UCHENNA NNAEGBUNA

72 UGOCHUKWU RAPHAEL

73 AGUDILE CHIZOBA MIRACLE

74 PAUL ONYEKACHI UGWUOKE

75 IZUNABOR NONSO COLLINS

76 ONYEKE UCHENNA WISDOM

77 FLORENCE EZI

79 TOCHUKWU UBAH

80 BRIGHT OHIARA

81 OZIOMA ONWUZUGHA

82 JOSEPH UGWU

83 JOSEPH EZUZOBI

84 EMMANUEL IFEANYI

85 EJIKE DOMNIC

86 CHUPEZ ARINZE

87 RICHARD OBIDINMA

88 NNADI KINGSLEY EJIOFOR

89 OBI AUGUSTINE

90 SUNDAY DONATUS

91 EMMANUEL ADIBE

92 NWOKOCHA GODWIN

93 EZE LUCKY

94 LAWRENCE AMANDIANEZE ANIEKWE

95 ONYEANULA CHINEDU GODWIN

96 EZE FRANCIS

97 UKWUNGWU LINUS

98 COLLINS CHIDIEBERE

99 IBEH TOCHUKWU

100 ABUGU CLEMENT

101 FAVOUR ANITA

102 CHINEDU ONYEMACHUKWU

103 ALEX EZIOKWU

104 AMBROSE OGWUEGBU

105 EMEKA POLITE

106 BLESSEDUC AVENUE

107 NEWLY INTERNATIONAL UCHE CHUKWU OKEZIE

108 JOHN NKE

109 IHEAGWAM B. IYKE

110 NNAJI IZUCHUKWU

111 GLORIOUS BLESSED SEA LAND (TONY IGBOMALU)

112 FEDELIS OBI

113 MIKE EZE

114 CHIMA ORIAKU

115 OBINNA EKWECHI

116 AUGUSTINE UKPABIA

117 MONEKE MICHAEL K

118 OGOCHUKWU NWANKWO

119 EMMANUEL AGBATA

120 EMMANUEL IGWE

121 NELSON OKECHUKWU

122 IKENNA NWAKAOZOR

123 NNAEMEKA GODWIN

124 CHINEDU MBIONWU

125 AKONAM EZEANOLUE

126 CHINEDU OKPALAEKE

127 CHINEDU UKABIA

128 EMEKA UGWUNNWA

129 EJIKE EZEDINIRU

130 CHUKWU NONSO OKEY

131 STANLEY CHIMEZIE UDEH

Related Topics:Federal Republic of Nigeria Ghana

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APC Govs Forum, Others Adopt Tinubu As Sole Candidate for 2027 Presidential Race

Published

1 day ago

May 22, 2025

Eric

The All Progressives Congress has endorsed President Bola Tinubu as its flag bearer in the 2027 presidential elections.

The Party’s National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, announced this on Thursday, on behalf of its National Working Committee, at its National Summit held at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja.

The endorsement came hours after APC governors and lawmakers cast a vote of confidence on the president and endorsed him for a second term.

Headline

FG Drags Natasha to Court for Defamation, Lists Akpabio, Yahaya Bello As Witnesses

Published

1 day ago

May 22, 2025

Eric

The Federal Government has filed a criminal suit against the senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, over comments she made on national television that were allegedly deemed defamatory.

The case, marked CR/297/25, was filed on May 16, 2025, before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, with Akpoti-Uduaghan listed as the sole defendant.

According to court documents, the government is charging the senator under Section 391 of the Penal Code (Cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990) for allegedly “making imputation knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person.”

The said comments were allegedly made during a live broadcast of Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on April 3, 2025, where Akpoti-Uduaghan was said to have criticised unnamed individuals in a manner the government claimed was defamatory.

Count two of the charges accused Akpoti-Uduaghan of “making an imputation knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person, contrary to Section 391 of the Penal Code Law, Cap. 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990, and punishable under Section 392 of the same Law.

“That you, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, on or about the 3rd day of April 2025, during the same Politics Today programme on Channels Television in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, made the following imputation concerning Yahaya Adoza Bello, former Governor of Kogi State.

“It was part of the meeting, the discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night to eliminate me. When he met with him, he then emphasised that I should be killed, but I should be killed in Kogi.

“You knew or had reason to believe that such imputations would harm the reputation of Yahaya Adoza Bello, former Governor of Kogi State”, the charge added.

Among the witnesses lined up to testify include Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello, who are identified in court filings as the nominal complainants.

Other witnesses listed include Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, Sandra Duru, and police investigators Maya Iliya and Abdulhafiz Garba, who were involved in probing the matter.

The former Kogi governor had in April, petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), accusing Akpoti-Uduaghan, of making defamatory statements against him.

Bello, through a petition signed by his lawyer, N.A. Abubakar, submitted to the IGP on Wednesday, April 16, called on the police to invite Akpoti-Uduaghan to present credible evidence backing her allegations against him.

The former Kogi governor alleged that during a homecoming event on April 1, 2025, in Okehi Local Government Area, the female lawmaker ‘maliciously’ defamed him and accused him of being involved in an assassination plot.

The case comes amid ongoing political tensions surrounding Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was suspended from the Senate earlier this year. Her suspension sparked widespread criticism and allegations of political persecution.

Akpoti-Uduaghan had accused Akpabio of targeting her after she rejected his alleged sexual advances, claiming that her suspension was orchestrated to silence her.

She made the allegations following the altercation over sitting arrangement in the Senate Chamber that led to Akpabio ordering the sergeant-at-arms to eject her from the chamber when she rejected the seat offered to her.

She is challenging her suspension at the Federal High Court, where the hearing has been scheduled for June 27.

Source: ICIR

Headline

Again, Dangote Refinery Slashes Petrol Price by N15

Published

1 day ago

May 22, 2025

Eric

Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals has announced another reduction of N15 in the price of its high-quality Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

As a result of this reduction, Nigerians will now purchase the product at the following prices: N875 per litre in Lagos; N885 per litre in the South West; N895 per litre in the North West and North Central, while it will be sold for N905 per litre in the South East, South South, and North East.

These prices will apply through all its partners, including MRS, AP (Ardova), Heyden, Optima Energy, Techno Oil, and Hyde.

The refinery called on other marketers to join its expanding network of partners, thereby demonstrating their support for President Bola Tinubu’s Nigeria First policy, which advocates for the prioritisation of locally-produced goods and services.

Since the commencement of operations, Dangote Petroleum Refinery has consistently implemented cost-reduction strategies aimed at delivering tangible savings to Nigerians.

In February 2025, the company carried out two price reductions on petrol, resulting in a total decrease of N125 per litre.

This was followed by a further reduction of approximately N45 per litre in April.Additionally, the prices of other key products, such as diesel and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), have been significantly lowered, improving affordability across transportation, industrial, and domestic energy sectors.

Dangote Petroleum Refinery recently reassured Nigerians of price stability despite fluctuations in global crude oil prices, reaffirming its commitment to supporting Nigeria’s economy.

“By refining petroleum products domestically at the world’s largest single-train refinery, we are proud to make a substantial contribution to Nigeria’s energy security, foreign exchange savings, and overall economic resilience—aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which focuses on addressing the nation’s economic challenges and improving the well-being of Nigerians.

“We are immensely grateful to His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, for making this possible through the commendable Naira-for-Crude Initiative, which has enabled us to consistently reduce the price of petroleum products for the benefit of all Nigerians,” it stated.Dangote Petroleum Refinery further assured the public of a consistent supply of petroleum products, with sufficient reserves to meet domestic demand, as well as a surplus for export to enhance the country’s foreign exchange earnings.Recall that only last Tuesdsy, the founder of Dangote Refinery, Aliko Dangote, was named in the inaugural 2025 TIME100 Philanthropy list.The list recognises the 100 most influential leaders shaping the future of philanthropy worldwide.The list, published by TIME Magazine, includes Aliko Dangote, whose Foundation spends an average of $35 million annually on programmes across Africa, alongside other global figures in charitable work, such as Michael Bloomberg, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, and Melinda Gates, all of whom were recognised as Titans.