FG sues for calm over ‘Nigerians Must Go’ protests in Ghana

The Federal Government on Tuesday called for calm over the raging mass protests in Ghana calling for Nigerians to leave their country.

A statement by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), which condemned the generalisation of Nigerians as criminals, sued for calm as government was studying the development.

NIDCOM Chairman/CEO, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who described the situation as unfair and dangerous,

noted that while a few individuals may be involved in wrongdoing, the majority of Nigerians living in Ghana are law-abiding and contribute positively to society.

“Nigerians are not criminals. They are good ambassadors wherever they find themselves, while those bad ones should be fished out and made to face the necessary sanctions.

“Ghana and Nigeria are like Siamese twins. They are brothers, and such, in the spirit of ECOWAS and regional integration, should continue to live in peace like brothers,” she said.

She, consequently, appealed for calm and urged Nigerians living in Ghana not to be provoked or engage in violence, as the issue is being handled at the diplomatic level.

“There is no evidence to support that, and we must at all costs prevent any reprisal attacks,” she said.

Indeed, only 43 years, the Shehu Shagari-led Nigerian government spearheaded the deportation of Ghanaian immigrants back to their country.

Consequently, the unfolding situation is largely seen as payback time as several Ghanaians engaged in mass protests, demanding the deportation of Nigerians from Ghana.

The placards of the protesters, read variously in a viral video on Tuesday, accused Nigerian residents of ritual killings, human trafficking and mass prostitution in their country.

Specifically, the placards were with various inscriptions such as: “Armed robbery and violent attacks must stop,” “Our health at stake due to mass prostitution,” “Who protects the rights and freedom of Ghanaians?” “Nigerians are kidnapping and using people for rituals,” “Our kids are getting missing because of Igbos,” among others.

The protesters also displayed a picture of a man who was allegedly killed by a Nigerian in the Accra area of the country.

Some of the protesters who spoke in the video noted, “Nigerians must go because you can’t be in someone’s country and be doing anyhow. Nigerians must go.

“They are in every part of the country and have targeted our markets. Nigerians are in almost every village, and our laws do not allow foreigners to engage in real dealings. They are perpetrating evil in our country. They even have an Igbo king in Ghana. They have hijacked our lands. It is just a matter of time; we will conquer them and take back our country.”

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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