FG Will Get Justice For Nigerian Traders In Ghana – Osinbajo

By Edna Wande On Sep 16, 2020

Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), has assured Nigerian traders in Ghana, recently affected by stiff business regulations imposed by Ghanaian authorities, that they will get justice.

It would be recalled that shops of a Nigerian traders in Ghana were locked up for not paying the sum of one million dollars business registration fees and taxesto Ghana Investment Promotion Council(GIPC).

The Vice President gave the assurances on Tuesday evening, during a meeting with representatives of the Nigerian community in Ghana.

This is according to a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, Mr Laolu Akande.

The meeting, which held at the official residence of the Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, was focused on the challenges facing Nigerians living in the West African nation including the locking of hundreds of Nigerian owned shops.

Responding to the issues raised by leaders of the Nigerian community at the meeting, especially the maltreatment of Nigerians by Ghanaian authorities, Prof Osinbajo strongly affirmed the commitment of the Federal Government to deal with the issues, assuring them of justice.

According to him;

I WILL CERTAINLY CONVEY THE DEPTH OF YOUR GRIEVANCES TO THE PRESIDENT. I AM SURE THAT HE WILL BE DEEPLY DISTURBED TO HEAR THAT DESPITE THE ASSURANCES THAT HE HAD RECEIVED, (FROM THE GHANAIAN GOVERNMENT) THERE ARE STILL PROBLEMS AND COMPLICATIONS. MANY OF WHICH HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS WITH ASSURANCES OF RESOLUTIONS GIVEN.

However, the VP explained that the delay in resolving these issues may be due to bureaucratic bottlenecks which is generally a drag on government activities.

He expressed;

I LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING THE DETAILS AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO BEGIN TO RESOLVE SOME OF THESE ISSUES AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. BUT I THINK YOU MUST ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT GENERALLY SPEAKING, GOVERNMENTS TEND TO BE VERY SLOW, PROCESSES ARE SLOW, BUREAUCRACIES ARE SLOW, BUT WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE DO THE VERY BEST WE CAN TO GET YOU YOUR RIGHTS, SO THAT AT LEAST YOU ARE DEALT WITH JUSTLY.

He assured the leaders and traders in the Nigerian community in Ghana who interacted with him for over an hour.

The Vice President however urged all affected traders through their associations and leaders to submit a more detailed letter containing the number of affected shops and other relevant information that would enable the Federal Government follow-up effectively their Ghanaian authorities.

The Vice President implored Nigerians living in Ghana to remain law abiding and to embrace peaceful coexistence, while adding that both governments would resolve the differences.

Osinbajo was also taken round the damaged embassy building reportedly attacked by local protesters.

It would be recalled that the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana was attacked on June 19, 2020 when a bulldozer in the night demolished an ongoing building project said to be 80% completed.

Other officials at the meeting included the Minister of State Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada; the President of NUTAG, Chief Chukwuemeka Nnaji, some executives of the body, among others.