Nigerians living in Ghana have described the Nigerians Must Go protest, which broke out in parts of the country on Tuesday, July 29, as an attempt to provoke a diplomatic crisis between the two African nations.
They also accused Ghanaians behind the protest of what they described as long-standing discrimination, economic sabotage, and deep-seated resentment against Nigerians.
Dozens of Ghanaians took to the streets in a protest tagged Nigerians Must Go, demanding the expulsion of Nigerians over allegations of rising crime, including prostitution, ritual killings, and economic dominance.
In videos of the protest, which circulated on social media, some of the protesters were seen clad in red t-shirts and Ghanaian flag armed with placards with inscriptions such as Armed robbery and violent attacks must stop, Our kids are getting missing because of Igbos, “Nigerians are kidnapping and using people for rituals, “Who protects the right and freedom of Ghanaians and Our health at stake due to mass prostitution.
A woman, in one of the protest videos, shouted, Nigerians must go because you can’t be in someone’s country and be behaving anyhow. Nigerians must go.
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 over our country, another protester said.
Nigerians allege discrimination.
But members of the Nigerian community lamented that they have been subjected to persistent discrimination and victimisation, particularly by Ghanaian landlords.
They cited instances of exorbitant house rents imposed specifically on Nigerian tenants, as well as the selective enforcement of business regulations that disproportionately affect Nigerian-owned enterprises.
Speaking with us, a businessman, Patrick Isaac, lamented astronomical house rents and discriminatory business practices targeted specifically at Nigerian tenants.
Isaac described the protest as an attempt by some Ghanaians who are not happy with the success of Nigerian traders to provoke them into attacking Ghanaians, thereby causing a diplomatic crisis between the two African nations.
This has been going on for long. We knew the protest was going to happen, and we were prepared for them. There was a meeting of Igbo traders in Ghana, and we were told not to react to their provocation during the protest because their plan was to provoke us into attacking them, thereby leading to a serious diplomatic crisis between Nigeria and Ghana, he said.
He insisted that the protest was not a response to the actions or utterances of a self-proclaimed Igbo leader in Ghana, Chukwudi Ihenetu, but a reflection of growing hostility towards Nigerians, especially those involved in small businesses and informal trade.
Most Nigerians here are victims of certain prejudices. When you go to rent an apartment or office space, you are already presumed to have too much money just because you are Nigerian, even when you are just someone trying to survive. When a Ghanaian pays 1,000 Cedis for rent, you may be asked to pay five times more, and if you can’t, you are chased away.
As a Nigerian, when you rent a shop or an apartment, they (Ghanaians) triple your rent in such a way that you are forced to leave so that they can come in and continue that kind of business which you have been doing.
The protest does not have anything to do with the utterances of the young man (Chukwudi Ihenetu), who is the leader of the Igbo community. The comments he made were not really the reasons for this outburst; it is because a Nigerian who is a trader here has a higher living standard, quality of life and lives in a better apartment than an average Ghanaian. This is the motivation behind the ‘Nigerians Must Go’ protest, Isaac said.
He alleged that the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana had failed to take decisive action to protect the interests of its citizens.
According to him, the mission has remained largely silent in the face of increasing harassment, discriminatory policies, and targeted crackdowns on Nigerian businesses.
Also speaking, a Nigerian trader who requested anonymity, described the protest as a calculated attempt to force Nigerian traders out of business and limit their growing influence in the local market.
He cited the proposed Ghana Investment Promotion Centre $1m levy as part of the scheme by the country to frustrate foreigners, particularly Nigerian retail traders, out of business.
The GIPC mandates every foreign investor in Ghana to either provide $1m in cash or raw materials before being legally recognised to do business in the country.
This has been going on for a long time; each time they (Ghanaians) see any Nigerian trader thriving, they try to pull them down. It started in 2017 when they tried to enact a law that no foreigner should engage in retail trading; they said we can do wholesale trading while we employ their indigenes. They tried to enact the law, which affected some of us in the spare parts and electronics business.
In 2019, it was so massive that all Nigerian shops were closed. This victimisation against Nigerians is becoming too much, and now they are targeting the Igbos because they know that we are the ones doing the business here and we have a very strong hold because we have the Igbo festival and other things we do, he said.
Meanwhile, we gathered that the protest may have been triggered by the public declaration of a Nigerian national, Chukwudi Ihenetu, as the Eze Ndi Igbo (king of Igbos) in Ghana.
We gathered that though Ihenetu made the declaration during an interview in 2013, the video of the interview, however, resurfaced a few weeks ago, sparking outrage from many Ghanaians.
In the four-minute-long video seen by our correspondent, Ihenetu, a businessman based in Ghana, revealed that he had acquired 50 acres of land in Ghana to build an Igbo Village, which, according to him, would consist of a market, a guest house, Eze Ndigbo palace, a 2,000-capacity town hall and streets named after Igbo leaders.
I’m creating an Igbo village which has never happened in the history of Igbos in the world. As I’m talking to you, I have acquired 50 acres of land, which is 250 plots of land along the Aflao road in the Old Ningo area. The reason for acquiring this land is to build an Igbo village in Ghana, which I call Ama Ndigbo in Ghana.
We will build the village, and in this village, we are going to build the palace of Eze Igbo, a huge palace. We will build an Igbo town hall with about 2,000 and a 100-room guest house. The essence of this guest house is to accommodate our governors and other Igbo great leaders when they come to Ghana with their entourage. We will also accommodate some of our people who have accommodation, Ihenetu said.
He added, “In the village, we will create streets that will represent the names of ancient Igbos, like Sam Mbakwe, Nnamdi Azikiwe, my father and other great leaders of Igbo that have gone and those that are present.
In this village, every Igbo man all over the world will come and buy property, whether you want a plot or two plots of land to build your dream house. We will build Igbo market, school and Eze Igbo garden, and from there Igbo people will expand.
Following the outrage generated by his declaration, Ihenetu was invited by Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa.
According to Ablakwa, Ihenetu apologised to the government and people of Ghana, assuring that he has long abandoned that idea and has not purchased any piece of land for that purpose.
As I emphasised in the meeting, Ghana is exceptionally proud of its celebrated friendly foreign policy, which is welcoming of all to our beautiful and peaceful country, particularly Africans and people of African descent. We are determined to keep championing that Pan-African identity, for which we have attained global renown,” Ablakwa was quoted as saying.
In his apology video, Ihenetu said, We have no single land that we want to develop as an Igbo village in Ghana, as far as I’m concerned now. And honestly, the vision of that particular land did not hold, and I abandoned it long ago.
Internet war
Meanwhile, speaking with Saturday PUNCH, the spokesperson for Igbo People in Ghana, Ifeanyichukwu Ugochukwu, said the crisis between Ndigbo and Ghanaians was caused by a few members of the larger Igbo group in the country.
He said a few persons who weren’t happy that the Eze Ndigbo in Ghana got the position hired Ghanaian bloggers to write negative stories against Nigerians living in Ghana.
Ugochukwu stated, The Ghanaian police have arrested four bloggers involved in the act.
A Nigerian man who had been in Ghana for 20 years and an elder of the Nigerian community, Joseph Njom, said the allegations against Nigerians were untrue.
He stated that Nigerians in Ghana were law-abiding, adding that they had been minding their business in the country.
Njom noted, “Nigerians in Ghana are hardworking and they are working legitimately. There is nothing like ritual killings; it is fallacious. We have been law-abiding. There is peace, and everything is calm. There is dialogue ongoing.
There are government agencies that are ensuring there is calm than we have been living before. We have not been threatened. Everyone is going about their business. There is no tension.
Fear of possible attacks
Meanwhile, following the Nigerians Must Go protest, members of the Nigerian community have called on the Ghanaian government to provide adequate protection, amid fears of potential violence.
The call came even as both the Nigerian and Ghanaian governments assured Nigerians living in Ghana of their safety, pledging to maintain law and order and prevent any escalation of tension.
Officials from both countries urged calm, noting that steps were being taken to address the concerns raised by the protest and to strengthen community relations.
On Thursday, officials of the Nigerian government, led by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, met with Ghanaian authorities, led by Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa.
But speaking with us, a member of the Igbo community in Ghana, Elder Joseph Njom, said Igbo’s annual yam festival, popularly known as Iriji, had been suspended due to the tension in the country.
He said, If we’re to have the Iriji festival, it would be the thirteenth year of having. We are always being protected by the security of the country. There has never been any hitch. It is a funfair that Ghanaians and other foreigners celebrate.
This year’s Iriji festival has been postponed authoritatively. It is postponed because of the advice and our understanding of the tension. Because we don’t know the plans of other people and we have to respect the host of the country.
Also, a trader, Desmond Princewill said, although the situation had remained calm since the protest, there was a need for increased security presence in areas with large Nigerian populations to prevent any possible outbreak of violence.
Princewill described the protest as deeply unsettling, expressing the fear that Nigerian nationals may be targeted for attack in the future.
He expressed concerns over safety of Nigerians living in high-risk areas he listed as Nima, Mamobi, New Town, Santa Maria, and Kasoa, urging both the Nigerian and Ghanaian governments to take proactive steps to address the issue and protect the rights of immigrants, to prevent a repeat of the kind of xenophobic attacks witnessed in South Africa in 2017.
We are deeply concerned about our safety, especially after seeing the tone of the protest. Even though both the Nigerian and Ghanaian governments have assured us of safety, steps must be taken to beef up security, particularly in areas where we have large settlements of Nigerians, to prevent future attacks or crises.
We are law-abiding residents and urge the Ghanaian government to protect all immigrants and prevent any form of violence or discrimination, Princewill said.
On his part, the Chief Admin of a Facebook forum tagged, “Nigerians staying in Ghana, Samuel Onukak, said the protest was a reflection of growing resentment and discrimination against Nigerians over their perceived dominance of Ghanaian’s local economy.
He also called on the Ghanaian government to beef up security in areas where the protest occurred, to protect the lives of Nigerians and prevent any future breakdown of law and order.
According to him, strengthening security in affected communities would not only reassure law-abiding immigrants but also help build trust between residents and foreign nationals, thereby promoting peaceful coexistence.
We are in a strange land, and when things like this happen, there will be fear because we don’t know what would be their (Ghanaians) next line of action will be. The tension, particularly among Nigerians who have shops and businesses here, they don’t know what effect the situation will have on their businesses. So, there is tension because we, the Igbos, own 60 per cent of businesses here in Ghana.
But the tension is no longer as rife as before; there is not much going on again since the protest, Onukak said.
No cause for alarm – President Mahama
However, in a statement on Friday, President John Mahama of Ghana assured Nigeria of the safety of its nationals residing in Ghana, stating that there is no place for xenophobia in the country.
Mahama also reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to the Economic Community of West African States protocols, especially those concerning the free movement of persons and goods within the region.
A statement on Friday by the Special Assistant on Communication and New Media to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Magnus Eze, said the Ghanaian President gave the assurance on Thursday while receiving President Bola Tinubu’s special envoy, led by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, at the Presidential Palace in Accra.
Tell President Tinubu not to lose sleep over the recent protests. Nigeria and Ghana are brothers with a shared history, and we won’t allow anything to come between us, the statement titled, “Mahama to Tinubu: No room for xenophobia in Ghana, quoted Mahama as saying.
He attributed the tension to the recirculation of a video recorded over a decade ago by a Nigerian residing in Ghana, saying the incident was promptly managed.
The Ghanaian President promised that the lives, properties, and businesses of Nigerians in Ghana would be protected.
The recirculation of an old video made by a Nigerian residing in Ghana over 10 years ago actually generated tension, but gladly, the situation was swiftly managed.
The protesters were not up to 50. I assure the envoy of the safety and protection of the lives, properties and businesses of Nigeria and Nigerians in Ghana, he stated.
During her meeting with Ghanaian officials on Thursday, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Odumegwu-Ojukwu, reiterated the long-standing relationship between Nigeria and Ghana, cautioning against the spread of inciting content that could escalate tensions between citizens of both countries.
She said, “We are here in the Republic of Ghana on a fact-finding mission as special envoy of President Bola Tinubu as a result of recent disturbances that have made the rounds in Nigeria.
We are pleased to note that things are rather calm here. Since we arrived, I haven’t seen people burning tyres on the streets or carrying placards everywhere calling for Nigerians to be deported.
She attributed the calm to the Ghanaian government’s intervention, adding that the fears raised by the videos seemed to have subsided upon assessment of the actual situation.
Also speaking in an interview with us, the Secretary of the All Nigerian Community Ghana, Olubunmi Onipede, dismissed the claims of widespread hostility or diplomatic breakdown between Nigerians and their Ghanaian hosts.
Onipede attributed much of the fear and confusion to misinformation spread online, saying, The real challenge is not the people but the bloggers and bad eggs sharing falsehoods. We must not allow propaganda or distorted information to define our relationship.
She also highlighted the ANC’s ongoing engagement with Ghanaian authorities to forestall any future crisis between Ghanaians and Nigerians.
Also bemoaning the discrimination faced by Nigerians in the housing sector, a fashion designer from Imo State, Emmanuel Chubike, said Nigerian tenants are increasingly being targeted by Ghanaian landlords due to growing tensions between both communities.
Before you get an apartment here, you will go through hell because some Nigerians who are into criminal activities have given the country a bad name.
I have received reports from many of my friends saying that their landlords have issued quit notices and asked them to vacate once their rents expire. My own landlord has also increased my rent by 50 per cent, and it is clear this is because of the perceived hatred going on between Nigerians and Ghanaians, Chubike said.
He appealed to the Ghanaian government to intervene and discourage unfair treatment, while urging both governments to work towards promoting mutual respect and peaceful coexistence between citizens of the two countries.
Punchng Report.
