‘No cause for alarm’: Minister visits Ghana over ‘Nigerians must go’ protests

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has appealed for calm as some Ghanaians demanded the deportation of Nigerians from their country.

The minister, who spoke at a joint press briefing with Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Ablakwa, in Accra on Wednesday, declared that there was no cause for alarm.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu 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 said: “The government and the people of Nigeria have been concerned with the widespread protests that have been taking place in Ghana, requesting Nigerians to leave and dousing tensions in Nigeria regarding the safety of lives and property of our nationals residing here in Ghana.

“I must start by saying thank you to the President of the Republic of Ghana, President John Dramani Mahama, for the warm reception we received when we arrived.

“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.

“The tensions that had been generated by these 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.

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“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 don’t always consider the far-reaching effects of the actions they take, and sometimes they jeopardise the lives of people who in most cases are innocent.”

The minister, however, highlighted the need for both countries to ensure and encourage cordiality among its citizens.

She also disclosed that her delegation had met with some of the leaders and individuals involved in a bid to de-escalate tensions.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu, according to a statement issued on Thursday by her spokesman, Dr. Magnus Eze, also harped on the need to institutionalise the Nigeria-Ghana Joint Commission, noting that this would help in engendering closer relations, including at the citizen-to-citizen level.

Speaking, 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 said.

The minister 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 Star