The Federal Government has assured that there was no cause for alarm over the anti-Nigerians protest in Ghana, even as it appealed for calm following agitations by some Ghanaians demanding the deportation of Nigerians living in the West African neighbouring country over alleged crimes.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu gave the assurance on Thursday in a statement issued by Dr. Magnus Eze, her special assistant on Communication and New Media Office.
The minister who spoke at a joint press briefing with Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Hon. Samuel Ablakwa, in Accra, on Wednesday, declared that there was no cause for alarm.
She commended the President of Ghana, John Mahama for his swift intervention towards resolving the matter, adding that the joint commission between both countries will douse tensions.
The minister further said the viral videos indicating disturbances had caused anxiety, prompting President Bola Tinubu to dispatch the special envoy to the country for a firsthand assessment of the situation.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu also said, “We are pleased to note that things are rather calm here. Since we 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.”
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the tensions generated by the viral videos in Nigeria seem to have literally evaporated “once we arrived to see that there were no visible protests that were ongoing.
“We want to reiterate essentially that Nigeria and Ghana have long been partners as a result of our shared history. We have a special relationship that so much binds us together. And these sights of inciting videos and rhetoric are capable of causing irrepressible damage.
“They are capable of inflaming nations within the shortest possible time because young people always don’t consider the far-reaching effects of the actions they take and sometimes, they jeopardise the lives of people who in most cases are innocent,” she said.
She stressed that the Nigerian delegation had a constructive engagement with the Minister of Foreign Affairs “and he assured us on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama of the safety of our nationals in Ghana and that they are free to go about their daily activities without fear and without anxiety”
She, however, highlighted the need for both countries to ensure and encourage cordiality among its citizens, stressing that her delegation had met with some of the leaders and individuals involved in a bid to deescalate tensions.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu also pointed out the need to institutionalise the Nigeria-Ghana Joint Commission, noting that this would help in engendering closer relations between both countries, including at citizen-to-citizen level.
Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Ablakwa, said the ministry was addressing the matter and has met with some leaders of the Nigerian community as well as engaged positively with the citizens of Ghana.
“The Ghanaian government will ensure that everyone in the country, citizens and non-citizens, is protected,” he assured.
Ablakwa added that while the country will protect everyone, people also need to be “law-abiding and avoid criminal activities and actions that could divide us.”
The minister further acknowledged the long-standing cordial and brotherly relationship between both nations and their citizens.
He also highlighted that the trending videos were not reflective of the actual situation on ground, disclosing that he had met with the Nigerian accused of attempting to form a kingdom in Ghana and it was explained that territorial ambitions were never the intention nor the plan.
Ablakwa stated that Ghana has a lot of population in Nigeria, stressing that both countries have a lot in common and need to manage their citizens’ relations very well to prevent reoccurrence of the Aliens Repatriation Order in Ghana and the ‘Ghana Must Go’ protests of 1983 in Nigeria.
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