Shop closure: Nigerian Community petitions consulate over ‘unfair treatment’

The Nigerian Community in Ghana has today August 19, 2020, sent a petition to the Nigeria High Commission in Accra over what they call ‘unfair treatment’ in trade practices in Ghana.

This follows the forceful closure of some foreign-owned retail shops of Nigerians in Accra and Kumasi on the basis that their presence was/is ‘illegal’.

Earlier this week, the Nigerian government summoned Ghana’s Chargé d'Affaires to Africa’s most populous country over the recent forceful closure of Nigeria-owned shops in Ghana’s central business district.

President of the Nigerian Union of Traders Association in Ghana (NUTAG), Chukwuemeka Nnaji addressing journalists in Accra on his part said he is worried by the silence of the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) in addressing the trade impasse.

“I want the two governments, [Ghana, Nigeria] to settle this trade impasse amicably and I am still worried and concerned why the ECOWAS President has not spoken at this point. There has been no official response from the ECOWAS Secretariat or Parliament and the Speaker of ECOWAS must speak now,” he stressed.

“I also want to stress that some of us [Nigerian traders] will like to go home and some of us are ready to go home. Ghanaians should stop harassing, intimidating and attacking us [Nigerians]. We thank them for the hospitality that has been shown to us over the years.”

He assured that all Ghanaians living in Nigeria will not be subjected to any kind of attack or intimidation just as they have.

Consular at the Nigeria High Commission, Minister Sylvanus Dauda who received the petition assured the Nigerian traders and its community in Ghana of a proactive response in addressing their plight.

Meanwhile, Ghana’s Ministry of Trade has rejected claims of unfair treatment by Nigerian traders in the country during the enforcement of the Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GIPC) regulations on trade.

The GIPC law permits that the traders must pay the required taxes and other fees imposed on them by the authorities.