Ghanaian authorities have invited Olufemi Abikoye, Nigeria high commissioner for talks, after he raised concerns about the Ghanaian press painting Nigerian migrants in Ghana, in constant bad light.
Ambassador Abikoye sees it as such that the Ghanaian media has prioritised portraying Nigerian migrants as criminals despite the full participation of Ghanaian citizens. The press wavers the participation of the Ghanaian nationals and concentrates on the supposed Nigerian citizens without confirming their convictions.
Amb. Abikoye strengthened that such a development was not in the best interest of both countries.
He said it was victimising, and unfair for Ghanaians to take the actions of a few "allegedly" Nigerians to criminalise and unfairly brand a brotherly country like Nigeria as a country of criminals who have come to disturb the peace of Ghana.
He further said that the daily negative reports on Nigerians by the media in Ghana has caused embarrassment to the many law abiding Nigerians living in Ghana; comprising of businessmen, bankers, students, investors, to name a few legitimate Nigerians.
In an instance he cited, he said, a situation where five Ghanaians in company of three Nigerians allegedly kidnapped two Canadians but was propagated as a crime committed by Nigerians and reportedly considers the majority, despite being Ghanaians as accomplices only, further makes the victimisation on Nigerians obvious.
Amb. Abikoye however said the High Commission would not accept any act of criminality on the part of Nigerians living in Ghana, but would not accept general branding of all Nigerians as criminals either.
This wrongful generalisation has recently sprouted xenophobic attacks on Nigerian traders in Ghana; causing these traders to close their shops and fellow Ghanaian traders calling for their exit from the country. The Ghanaian traders also said the Nigerians traders were allegedly selling merchandise cheaper, and tagged their goods inferior.
Chairman of the foreign affairs committee in Ghana, Mr. Frank Dompreh said his team will discuss with Amb. Abikoye on his concerns.
“We are threading cautiously, but unfortunately recent pronouncements in the media is not the best and we as a committee that has oversight when it comes to over-arching concerns about foreign relations.”
“We want to appeal to the generality of the people of this country, the youth and the media. We should all be measured in our pronouncements, any arrest which has been effected by the police, we will urge the police to do their work dispassionately.
“We have sent a word to the Nigeria High Commissioner to Ghana. We will be meeting him, we feel that there is no course of worry, but generally we have to appeal to our own that we don’t want to dread any bad relationship between the two countries” - Mr. Frank Dompreh.
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