Nigeria and Ghana are among the most culturally and economically integrated countries in West Africa. Diplomatic ties between both countries are strong, but it recently went sour with the news of inhumane treatment and deportation of 723 Nigerians living in Ghana.
The Ghanaian Immigration Service (GIS) cited criminal offenses like cybercrime and prostitution and visa term violations as reasons for these deportations. But a closer look at the conditions surrounding this action makes it questionable.
Where it Makes no Sense
These deportations may be negative for the integration of the West Africa region, especially if Nigeria retaliates in kind.
It will be disastrous if Nigeria were to, for instance, deport the over 500,000 Ghanaians living in the country, or even the 480,000 of them that are without proper documentation.
Besides, Ghana is among the most respected African countries in terms of respect and preservation of human dignity. This action threatens that status.
What message are we sending to the European countries that are in the process initiating more stringent immigration policies on African immigrants? We cannot be hypocritical.
GIS might be right to initiate deportation proceedings on immigrants accused of criminal conduct. But deporting individuals from ECOWAS member states citing visa-overstay is against the bloc’s agreement.
Also, claims of torture and maltreatment of immigrants accused of cybercrimes and prostitution make it even more embarrassing for GIS.
Ghana can do better.
Ghanaians and Nigerians are brothers and sisters. Deportation without due process is dangerous to the preservation of this relationship.
Both countries share far too many things in common to treat each others’ citizens this way.
Ghana and Nigeria are guilty of condoning this shameful policy in the past.
In 1969 during the administration of former Prime Minister, Koffi Busia, Ghana implemented its Alien Compliance Order, which saw the deportation of undocumented West African immigrants, mostly Nigerians.
Two decades later, under the government of Shehu Shagari, Nigeria retaliated by deporting over 1 million African immigrants in 1983, most of who were Ghanaians.
Although the deportations were part of many calculated political moves by Shagari to divert the growing criticism on Nigeria’s failing economy. Blaming Ghanaians for stealing Nigerian jobs was easy although senseless.
Shagari’s policy strained relationships between the neighbors and it took years for mutual respect to be reinstalled.
If the present Nigerian government take in-kind measures against the actions of GIS, we might be back to the years of diplomatic hostility between the two countries.
Ghana is Undoing its Own Economy by Deporting Nigerian Immigrants
Nigerians living in Ghana are making significant contributions to the host country’s economy.
They pay millions of dollars for degrees in Ghanian institutions and invest in well-performing businesses. They are among the many categories of immigrants that aids the Ghanaian economy by significantly powering its Gross Domestic Product.
If Africans do not treat each other with respect and dignity, how can the continent and its people expect the rest of the world to respect Africans?
If Ghana does not wish to lose a good source of economic strength, it should consider treating immigrants with dignity, even while prosecuting them for criminal offenses.
These sort of clampdowns sends bad signals to potential lawful immigrant or investor. Besides, ECOWAS member states must adhere to the understanding that guarantees the fair treatment and safety of West Africans.
African Unity should be Preserved
Brotherliness among African countries is what all African nations should strive to attain. Not by disregarding Africa’s shared interests. And this action by the Ghanaian authorities is on the negative side.
If Africans do not treat each other with respect and dignity, how can the continent and its people expect the rest of the world to respect Africans?
What message are we sending to the European countries that are in the process initiating more stringent immigration policies on African immigrants?
We cannot be hypocritical.
Abdullah Aderemi Tijani is an African Liberty Writing Fellow and a Local Coordinator at Student For Liberty. He is a Law student at Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Sokoto, Nigeria.
Thank you for the wonderful message to both countries. One more thing I will like to say and I think that will be a better solution to this disregard of Ghanaians to Nigerians here in Ghana is that Nigeria government should try or strive to get Nigeria as a country a standard and stable power (Electricity) because this is most reason many Nigerians are coming down to Ghana. Those days when we don’t have TV we go to someone or our nabour house to watch..but once we get our, we stop going to our nabour house. If Nigeria government can fix this power problem many dirty issues will end. Because we will be able to do 90% or our business in Nigeria without going or coming down to Ghana or or nabouring country to do business. This is my contribution to your message.
Thank you.
some of what u said is true but Nigerians are not deported for our selfish desires. Most are planning to take over the country. They are so ungrateful.
Thank u for ur contribution,
with light we can come to
Ghana,
Tell the truth. You welcome a man in your house. The man shit in your living room, rape your women, rob your house and kill your people. And if you depot them, you complain. The writer of this article is dishonest and bias. The writer should be reminded that the ecowas do not allow anybody to overstay the 90 days without staying permit. If you overstay then you have broken the law. No country must allow thugs to bring serious crimes in their country. And we all must condemn crimes wherever they are or whoever they are. Stay blessed.
Ghana Deporting Nigerians , I See It As Hatred And Lack Of Understanding. Because We Are More Brothers And Sisters Than Any Other Country
I have not heard of a single Ghanaian applying for a residential permit in Nigeria before. Its more stringent in Ghana. You people are more keen on making sure Nigerians meets up with the standard while there are other west African individuals in the same guilty- category as Nigerians but you don’t apply the same rule on them. Is there something I am not understanding? Ghana’s policy Is becoming very questionable. At the end you would blame Nigeria for retaliatiing.
No country that doesn’t have Criminal
so for ur goodness sake ur people
are also Criminal,
b/c am seeing that since u were born
u haven’t traveled once
I keep seeing this, Ghana and Nigeria brother and sister or siblings. Where does this come from? Isn’t Benin and Cameroon more closer to Nigeria than Ghana?
The annoying thing is these Ghanaians think they can survive without Nigeria. They envy Nigeria because they feel inferior in the presence of Nigerians. I Know of many Ghanaians involved in cybercrime and all sorts of crime which is being swept under the carpet. Every crime done by a Ghanaian is labeled on Nigerians. I have been robbed, pocket- picked by Ghanaians at Kaneishie and nobody said anything. They accuse Nigerians of crime and all evil things but the question is: “Is it not the mouse in the house the tells the others outside that there is food in the house?” On the issue of kidnapping,it’s the citizens of the host country that aids the kidnapping. It’s not easy for a foreigner to kidnap somebody without the help of the Ghanaians. It’s shows that the Ghanaians also have corruption in their DNA and th
at is why they were easily convinced by foreigners to kidnap people for money.. I have many Ghanaians in my village who don’t even have common ID cards and nobody gives a damn because we see them as brothers. But it’s time for Nigeria to put an end to this and start retaliating.
I say Retaliation is the best thing, let’s scrub them from Nigeria overnight and put this lot where they belong. Below.
It seems delusion runs in Nigerian circles. So everyone is jealous of criminality
You are simply an illiterate. where on earth does a ghanaian see a nigerian and feel inferior?. these are all part of your arrogance insensitivities kidnappings in ghana evil ritual killings of innocent ghanaians in our own peaceful country where your unmanaged big for nothing but international evil crime population is intended to overwhelm ghanaians. By the way if you talk of inferiority as a black man telling fellow black man about inferiority then are you aware of your population and the size of your country at all?. Are you clever enough to remmember the date you people had your independence as compared to ghana despite all your empty arrogant claims and your umnanaged population?. And do you quite remmember about the only black African country that produced a UN secretary general for the whole world?. No country in this world welcomes or has any good to say about nigerians but crimes crimes crimes and evil crimes. However i do have many advise to offer you but i can only sense that you are no human being as you absolutely do not have a brain to think properly therefore whenever it comes to your fucking mind to mention inferiority about ghanaians just think about all the facts i have given to you above and all the evils that you and your people are doing globally and what the brave no nonsense south Africans and their govt are doing to you consequently!!. Ghana is in due course going to control its population and by so doing shall need to get about eighty percent of you people out in order to maintain our own space to reserve those for our gene4ations followings. God says people without brain such as you should always pray for brain. Thank you.
Y’all are just being insensitive, no one’s right and no one’s wrong, every single country in the world have their downsides, so we should both stop feeling or thinking that we are better than the other and if we both keep throwing tantrums like this, there will never be peace, which should be main goal and not fueling the flame
Let there be peace etween both countries. Ghana and Nigeria we are brothers
If you know or feel so big to obey the rules and regulations of a host country then remain in your country where crime is celebrated . Every countries have their rules and regulations guiding them, you can not change their rules and regulations.
I agree with Gina.
I love my Nija brothers, but this article is more of propaganda than addressing the issues at stake. We are indeed BROTHERS and SISTERS, but when some of our brothers put it upon themselves to hurt their own SISTERS, then the SISTER has every reason to be cautious. I think the Ghana Immigration Service is doing a wonderful job by kicking out those irresponsible BROTHERS who will not find genuine jobs. Ghana is a peaceful country and welcomes peaceful and responsible immigrants who will contribute to national development.
Look at how stupid you nigerians are. Thats why you’re always labeled as criminals and evil and dangerous wherever you go in this world. In fact all countries must block nigeria from coming to theirs. May God have mercy on how shameful and pitiful you people are in the eyes of the world. You want to infest Ghana with your crime and evil. GIS keep sending them out their prisons and asylum need them
You need help… you are cursed.. so much hate. U need a hug.. silly thot
I actually have same experience in Ghana. Majorities of Ghanaian are greedy set of people who are envy of Nigeria success in their country. They are envy on what we Nigerians can do perfectly without mistakes. most of Ghana security officers are thiefs, cheap criminals who are unable to achieves a professionalism without hatred and betrayer. They hate theirself mostly than any other country else, ask any Ghanaian what is their burial policies they we speak rubbish. They don’t help their people! They are willing to buy you a costly burial caskets, wear the most costly clothes to mourn your death than to help you when you are alive and need help the most.
Regarding the topic, Ghana are deporting most Nigeria to enable them carryout their criminal activities in disguise. I went to Ghana as a computer engineer but have to stay a friend place because I was short in cash in a month and three days of my stay in Ghana, their came to the house with their joint security agent of which are: police, swat, BNI National security as a raid. the jump through the house fence and started shooting gun like they are after something else. Initially we where afraid and thought they where arms men without know it was a federal security agent. When the breakdown the door some of us in the building lay to the floor why so hide behind window and so. They beat every one of us brutally like a killer, my head was busted with in five places with the a gun handle. They us rod to hit our back and was climbing on our head one after the other. They even mad comment to shoot anybody who stand up… Blagging Nigeria has no value for their citizen. After enough torture for no guilt they took us to BNI headoffice where they did the worst. We where sort of mockery and entertainment to them. They use electric on our body, they take of our clothes and was hurting us with wire… I was full of blood all over my body. They said they have no business with Nigeria in their country that they hate Nigerians, they deny our brotherliness and friendship. They condemn our government we where force to be call different names. They said we should accept what ever accusation they lay on us through the media. We were forcefully given a book for statement to make us look guilty for something we where not. Among us was a tailor, business men, engineer, software developer and computer scientist, bloggers, student some who came for greener pastures and visitation. They make everybody look as a scammer even when we deny it. They keep dragging us to it even without a prove. It’s another man country our right could not speak for us because we were all stranger. They took my two phones, engineer tools, my 1,890ghana cedis which they never give back to me. Everybody item was taken away for them. They ask us to take off our clothes and shoes. We were on boxer and a bear foot. They took our gold neck chains, our expensive bags and clothes and left us beaten taken to BNI prison. We spend four weeks to be treated of our injuries in BNI prison without calls or messages to anyone before we were taken to immigration prison. In immigration prison I meet some other female Nigeria who some of the immigration make officer come to molests one after the other pretending to work night shift. They where different countries their but our Nigeria women were forcefully used by those asshole officer like officer Raymond, officer Edmond, stupid man who can make love with anything under a woman two leg. Why officer Henry who bringing cigarettes to the prison and convert their to a busy ground. He even give our Ladies to other men for money when ever he is on Night duty. To cut the story short, Some of our lady get pregnant and was deported immediately inother for those asshole officer to keep their job. We all pay money for our deportation. We all paid ×3 of our Transport and flight money to be sent free. Ghana is a fucking country! They hate Nigerians mainly because they were once send out of Nigeria, the Ghana-must-go stuff. That was history and they are trying to draft their own record for a payback as Nigeria-must-go. I must be sincere with you, I have decided to hate Ghanaian because of what they made me to past through in their country. They stole everything that belongs to me and send me out with a pair of singlet on and a boxer on my warste.
I plead to Nigeria to stop going to Ghana
Ghanains have biten morthan they could chew
they blood of the innocent Nigerians that they maltreated and lambated will haunt them until thy kingdom come
Woe! to the Ghanaians
Dear Nigerians,
If you believe you are helping everyone else economically; why not stay in your country and work on yours? Stop the nonsense that you are all that. It is time, we, your fellow Africans told you that you are full on nonsense.
1. Illiteracy is 50% Like half of Nigerians are uneducated
2. Top source of scammers.
3. Insecurity – same WhatsApp group with Somali/a.
4. Your children as kidnapped daily – you cannot protect your weakest members.
Yes, Nigerians you are loud. Loud about your individual achievements. There is an African saying that an empty debe (tin) makes alot of noise. Your being populous should not be an emergency to any other African country. Please take care of your stuff before telling us how you are this and that, while your HDI is way down there.
Fellow Friend.
Well, I am delighted to be able to access this issue today.
Right from the time of Kwame Nkruma of Ghana and Nnamdi Azikiwe of Nigeria, Nigeria and Ghana have related very beautifully as two friendly West African Countries. However, the advent of GSM phones and similar life-changing phenomena like drugs and the cankerworm of get-rich-quick, have turned our respectful, Godfearing citizens into hardened criminals… In short, there is no place in the World today, that you won’t find evil and fraudulent people, be it in Ghana, Brazil, Nigeria, or Canada!! All we are saying is that Nigeria and Ghana are too related to be enemies… So leaders of both Countries should work for permanent peace from now on. Finally, we thank God that after all the horror of COVID-19, some of us are still here talking of deportations!!!
Although I have spoken quite s lot on the Nigeria/Ghana relations elsewhere, let me add here that one major cause of disaffection in these regions of Africa is bad language!!
Many leaders have repeatedly warned citizens to weigh their words in the interest of peace and harmony, but some people say whatever comes into their mouths!!
That is why, even in this attempt to reconcile Nigerians and their Ghanaian neighbours, some people make matters worse by indulging in painful hate-speeches!!! They abuse, they quarrel, they incite, and so on… If you are angry, or unsure of what to say, please take some rest ! With God helping His children, we shall triumph! Amen.
it is not true that it is the most connected in west Africa. All west Africa culture is integrated. Also it is foolish for 4million to 5million Nigerians making about 20% of Ghana’s population wanting to live in Ghana. Ghana is poor country and with Nigerians resources why should Ghana take care of your citizens. Nigerians were killing Ghanaians in 1983 so why should Ghana again accommodate Nigerians. Why cant you stay in your country? What do you want from Ghana.
You only want to kill Ghanaians, steal and destroy Ghana’s dream of making it.
Your news papers lie to stoke hatred against Ghanaians. Go and live in your country for Ghana to move forward. Evil Nigeria leave Ghana alone.