Clarifying the Law on Dual Citizenship to Expose the Irrationality of the Law

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• Kwamebeba 10 years ago

  Ghana(Africa) has so many neo-colonialist laws. No wonder our lwayers and judges still wear these abhoring "wigs" to unjustly judge true Africans for keeping their African Personality. Aliens Compliance Order, Ghana Must Go ...
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  Ghana(Africa) has so many neo-colonialist laws. No wonder our lwayers and judges still wear these abhoring "wigs" to unjustly judge true Africans for keeping their African Personality. Aliens Compliance Order, Ghana Must Go etc. etc.

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• Azizz 10 years ago

  Nice explanation of citizenship. What about Ghanaians who obtain another nationality while living abroad , for example, US citizenship? Do they lose their Ghanaian citizenship and as a result need to formally apply for a dual ...
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  Nice explanation of citizenship. What about Ghanaians who obtain another nationality while living abroad , for example, US citizenship? Do they lose their Ghanaian citizenship and as a result need to formally apply for a dual citizenship certificate even though they have not renounced their Ghanaian citizenship?

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• Jato Kaleo 10 years ago

  Some interesting observations:
  
  From Asare's write-up, the Nigerian example is really interesting. How can they be so different from us when we inherited similar legal systems? They seem to be more progressive than us on th ...
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  Some interesting observations:
  
  From Asare's write-up, the Nigerian example is really interesting. How can they be so different from us when we inherited similar legal systems? They seem to be more progressive than us on this issue. Or is it perhaps because they've not yet been confronted with a situation like Ms Osei?
  
  "Going after" those who carry Western passports? Interesting. A tinge of envy? Actually, it will be more difficult to "go after" those who have dual citizenships that are Ghanaian and also of some other West African country. How do you determine who is a Togolese or Ghanaian Ewe? Similar too along the Côte d'Ivoire and Burkinabe borders. And, today, there are many zamaramma (people from Niger, Mali) living in Ghana whose chn are thoroughly Ghanaianized - having been born and bred among us. Some of these will naturally be seeking public posts that the law of citizenship will deny them.
  
  As for the dual citizenship card, The Supreme Laws verdict is having no effect in practice. You cannot cite the ruling if you are passing through immigration at Kotoka. But with that Ghanaian "Green card" you'll breeze through in the faster moving Ghaianain line and you don't need to get a Ghanaian visa in your foreign passport. You can also use the Ghanaian "green card" to register as a voter. I think that is why many people are still seeking and paying for the dual citizenship card. If you visit Ghana often, the 200 dollars is easily paid for by your not paying for a Ghanaian visa which doesn't come cheap. Many people simply just use one one passport into and out of Ghana and the other passport to enter the western country. Nobody arrests them...
  
  The EU doesn't have a common citizenship law. Many countries accept dual citizenship and leave the choice of renouncing your Ghanaian citizenship to you. Germany sticks out with a more stringent policy. I think Hungary accepts a dual citizenship holder to become even president.
  
  Yes, we need to change our basic citizenship laws to make it clearer and in response to modern trends. Travelling is a fact of life now. The world is becoming smaller. But that change will require a change in the constitution. In the meantime, it will be the courts that will make their own interpretations of the existing law.
  
  It looks like many of us are satisfied with the appointment of Ms Osei. If she should lose that post, it shouldn't be because she is not a Ghanaian!

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• Anderson C. M 10 years ago

  Thank goodness for this masterful piece. The simplicity and colorful clarity of explanation really took my breathe away. Keep it up. However, ghanaweb please stop publishing any rubbish you get your hands on and showcase th ...
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  Thank goodness for this masterful piece. The simplicity and colorful clarity of explanation really took my breathe away. Keep it up. However, ghanaweb please stop publishing any rubbish you get your hands on and showcase the good stories Ghana has to offer.

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• Osei Kofi 10 years ago

  You wrote "Nigeria, for example, “worships” Nigerians at birth and do not allow them to renounce their citizenships easily or disqualify them from holding any office, including the Presidency, even if they hold 30 other c ...
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  You wrote "Nigeria, for example, “worships” Nigerians at birth and do not allow them to renounce their citizenships easily or disqualify them from holding any office, including the Presidency, even if they hold 30 other citizenships".
  
  
  With the exception of this misleading paragraph the argument was well advanced even though the case of the ec commissioner played the devil advocate for a disclaimer of intent.
  
  The right to renounce Nigerian citizenship is established in § 29 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, which states that "any citizen of Nigeria of full age who wishes to renounce his/her Nigerian citizenship shall make a declaration in the prescribed manner for the renunciation", which the government is obliged to register except when Nigeria is physically involved in a war or when the President of Nigeria is of the opinion that the renunciation is contrary to public policy.
  
  All citizens of any nation have the right to renounce their citizenship as a mater of right under international law and not the whims of nations.We see people renouncing their US citizenship at the American Embassy in Ghana to qualify them for certain appointments.
  
  The case of Mrs Osei may be no different unless you are suggesting that our constitution make no room to remedy such conundrums.

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• Bash 10 years ago

  Ghana must come of age and leap into the 21st century and leave behind some of these backward injunctions. All the people in the history of Ghana who committed uncountable atrocities against the country ranging from causing f ...
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  Ghana must come of age and leap into the 21st century and leave behind some of these backward injunctions. All the people in the history of Ghana who committed uncountable atrocities against the country ranging from causing financial loss to judgement debt are not dual citizens. How backward do we look then to question the commitment of dual citizens whose remittances keep making a huge difference in the lives of many in Ghana. Hope this opens a true debate that leads to the prevalence of common sense.

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