Despite assurances and pleas by the Federal Government, Nigerians living and working in Ghana under the auspices of Nigerian Union of Traders Association in Ghana (NUTAG) have presented a Save-Our-Soul Letter requesting to be evacuated from the former Gold Coast.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, had on Tuesday called on the traders who are facing tough times in Ghana not to leave the country, but rather to be patient with the Government of Nigeria as it continues to engage the Ghanaian Authorities and other relevant stakeholders with a view to addressing their challenges.
But the traders, who were led by Ken Ukaoha, president of National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS), alongside Chukwuemeka Nnaji, NUTAG president, and other members of the association, presented a letter to chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in Abuja.
Ukaoha had expressed what he referred to as the agony, humiliation and torture of Nigerian Traders in Ghana, emanating from the Ghanaian Government’s decision to raise the capital base of any foreign trader doing business in the country to $1million, and the subsequent locking up of many Nigerian traders’ shops since 2019.
He added that in spite of various interventions by representatives of the Nigerian Government, nothing significant had been done by the Ghanaian Government to reverse the trend.
According to a statement signed by Gabriel Odu of Media, Public Relations and Protocol Unit, NIDCOM, their request is among others to secure a peaceful and secure evacuation of Nigerians in Ghana back home to Nigeria. The letter has names of 753 members who signed to be supported to return home.
They explained that the evacuation has become necessary because of the constant and consistent harassment, intimidation, torture and threat to life as well as a total lockdown of their means of livelihood, as their shops have been locked for almost one year by the Ghanaian authorities.
Since all diplomatic niceties at the highest level between Nigeria and Ghana have not yielded positive results, they are left with no choice than to ask for evacuation.
“Now, landlords are coming to ask us for rent. How do we pay with our shops locked up for so long? We are dying here,” they lamented.
However, Dabiri-Erewa once again called for peace, stressing that all relevant Stakeholders will continually be engaged. She said it is indeed sad that their shops have not been reopened for almost one year citing draconian conditions which are against ECOWAS Protocols of Free Trade and movement of goods and services.
The NIDCOM boss, however, pleaded again with the Traders not to allow tempers rise as she will convey their message for support to relocate back home to the appropriate authorities for further consideration and to speed up the process with strategic ministries and agencies to bring a lasting solution to the issues. Dabiri-Erewa also said Nigeria will not hesitate to gladly and safely welcome her citizens back to the country.