A coalition has called for the immediate evacuation Nigerian traders in Ghana to forestall “unsavory outcomes staring them in the face” in their host country.
The group drawn from the nation’s six-geopolitical zones – Coalition for the Safe Evacuation of Nigerian Traders in Ghana, said after their meeting on Sunday in Abuja, lamented the continued gruesome treatment meted out on Nigerian traders in Ghana.
The Coalition stated that the latest spate of closure of Nigerian owned shops in Ghana have gone
from bad to worse as their lives have been endangered while their sources of livelihood have been put on hold.
The statement, signed by Alhaji Buba Amshi (North East), Emmanuel Zopmal (North Central)
Ibrahim Bunu (North West) Nze Ugo-Akpe Onwuka (Oyi) (South East), Eric Oluwole (South West) and Bassey E. Livingstone (South South) regretted the untold hardships suffered by the Nigerian traders in Ghana and their families since the clampdown on their businesses.
The statement reads: “It is no more news that the Government of Ghana in its claims of targeting ‘foreigners’ engaged in petty trading, an area of trade they claim is reserved by law solely for the locals have resorted to targeting Nigerian Traders in Ghana while other foreigners are allowed to freely operate in the same area of trading prohibited for the supposed foreigners.”
“By these persistent actions since 2007, it has become very clear that the Ghanaian Government is flagrantly discriminating against the Nigerian nationals in its purported enforcement of the so-called investment laws.”
“It is very pertinent to note that this decision was reached after critically considering the rapidly deteriorating free and uninhibited living of the Nigerian traders in Ghana.”.
“These traders have had to contend with life challenging and threatening situations
including:
1. Untold hardships amongst the affected traders.
2. Some of the traders are unable to receive medical treatment due to lack of finance, which ultimately leads to death. (Instances abound)
3. Properties of affected traders being foreclosed on by Banks due to inability to meet up with loans payments.
4. Physical attacks and abuse from Ghana Union of Traders (Circle Branch, Accra).
“The Coalition demanded that the Federal government within 30 days from the date of issuing the statement set up a machinery to draw up an evacuation plan of Nigerian traders who are no more interested in continuing with the unabating harassment to their lives and threats to shut down their sources of livelihoods in Ghana.”
It would be recalled that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Olufemi Hakeem Gbajabiamila visited Ghana with the hope of bringing an end to the unfortunate situation, but all these efforts seem not to have yielded the desired results at reaching a viable and visible solution to the impasse.