Fred Itua, Abuja

Worried by the threat to their businesses, members of the Nigeria Union of Traders in Ghana (NUTAG) have appealed to the Federal Government to take urgent steps to end the ordeal of Nigerian traders in the West African country.

President of NUTAG, Chukwuemeka Nnaji, said the call became imperative because over 160 businesses belonging to Nigerian traders were still locked down by the Ghanaian authorities.

“They have continued to lock up our businesses, including our warehouses, and also harass our business partners. This implies that they really want us to run out of basic supplies like food or other amenities of life. We are appealing to our government to help so that Nigerian traders here will not die of hunger,” Nnaji said.

He reiterated that an Inter-ministerial Task Force on August 10 moved round to identify shops owned by Nigerians and requested that such businesses be registered for the purpose of raising tax.

Also, they requested for resident permit, standard control and Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GIPC) registration.

He noted that most Nigerian traders did not have the GIPC registration, which costs as much as $1 million or in equity, adding that they were given 14-day ultimatum to regularise the demands.

The NUTAG president said the closure of the businesses had destroyed their means of livelihood hence the need for the Federal Government to step in.

Meanwhile, senators elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have described action of Ghanaian government as “criminal and very disturbing.” 

The lawmakers said it was a wilful denigration of sub-regional brotherhood and in conflict with ECOWAS protocol. They also condemned Ghana’s recent regulations, which stipulate that retail trade is the exclusive preserve of Ghanaians.

Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, in statement on behalf of the senators said Ghana’s action against nationals of other countries, particularly targeted at Nigerians, points to state endorsement of xenophobic attacks.

“The authorities in that country need to prove us wrong by putting a halt to further closure of the shops and attacks on Nigerians in compliance to the Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS) protocol. So, what’s the point having an economic community if at the end of the day each country resolves to make laws and regulations that are in contradiction with the binding protocol. This is quite absurd as it negates the spirit that propelled the formation of ECOWAS in the first place,” Abaribe said in a statement by his media aide, Uchenna Awom.

“It is very unfortunate that Ghana, which hitherto has been enjoying a robust relationship with Nigeria, has in recent times been treating our people with so much contempt and underserved reprehension.”

Also reacting, the Progressive Ambassadors of Nigeria (PAN) urged ECOWAS and the Federal Government to wade-in on the imposition of $1million trade-levy on Nigerian traders in Ghana.

In a statement by Emmanuel Ohiomokhare, its national director of media, in Abuja, yesterday, PAN said the imposition of the levy on Nigerian traders was not only an harassment, but also a contravention of the ECOWAS protocol.

He expressed displeasure over the statement by the Ghana Minister of Foreign Affairs that Ghana implemented the law because Nigeria also violated ECOWAS protocol by closing its border.

Ohiomokhare, however, faulted this stance saying  since 2007 when Ghana started closing Nigerian traders’ shops, such actions were not occasioned by recent border closure.

“Did Nigeria violate ECOWAS protocol by taking steps to contain the cross-border insurgency, check to smuggle and address deliberate abuse of the provisions of ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) among others? Mindful of deep and conscious engagements with the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PAN calls for decisive and urgent actions by the federal government to find a permanent solution to this recurring decimal,’’ Ohiomokhare said.

He also appealed to the government to consider evacuating Nigerians who continued to face harassments and xenophobic attacks in Ghana, to avoid loss of lives and the attendant surprises.