The Nigeria House of Representatives set to meet with Ghanaian Parliament over plight of Nigerians.
The Ghanaian High commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Williams Awinador Kanyirige yesterday faulted the widely held notion that some of the measures put in place in his home country were targeted at Nigerians doing business there.
The envoy who met with the House of Representatives committee on Diaspora led by Rep. Rita Ojir representing Ajeromi/Ifelodun of Lagos state at the Ghanaian embassy today in Abuja clarified that such measures were primarily aimed at protecting the interest of indigent Ghana.
Among some of the measures which prompted aggrieved Nigerians in Ghana to seek the intervention of the green chamber were compelling Nigerians willing to do business in Ghana to make a deposit of $1 million in a bank account, compelling Nigerians resident in Ghana to pay $200 US dollars to obtain an identity card, and forcing Nigerian students in Ghana to pay their fees in dollars respectively.
But Mr. Awinador explained the rationale for some of the measures thus: "if you noticed the law that was passed has nothing to do with targeting Nigerians. Incidentally it appears to target Nigerians. One of the things I come to realise is that the two countries are so bound together that when you are not careful certain measures we take will appear to target the other.
"Since we changed the policy targeted at protecting Ghanaians , Nigerians in Ghana, Ghanaians in Nigeria, before you realise it the hardest hit in the case of Nigerians will be Ghanaians and the hardest hit in the case of Nigerians will be Ghanaians.
"We have seen it happen a number of times. This is the time for us to begin to think out of the box. The intention was to keep certain jobs like barbing salons, taci drivers to enable the poorer segment of the Ghanaian population not to be out of jobs. In the process of doing this it has come to affect our Nigerian brothers."
The envoy who went down history lane to recall the deep seated relationship between both countries disclosed that President Muhammed Buhari and the immediate past Ghanaian president, Mr John Mahama had met over the same issue in september 2015.
Noting that it was unfortunate that Nigerians ended up at the receiving end of such measures when implemented by officials in his home country, he stressed the need for amending the bilateral relationship between both countries to correct the wrongs.
Stating that the upcoming joint commission meeting between officials of both countries would surely provide the opportunity to achieve the goal, he enjoined the lawmakers to liase with their Ghanaian counterpart aimed at amending some of the regulations affecting the interest of Nigerians in Ghana.
Orji assured that members of her committee would be in Ghana to explore avenues of resolving the problem adding that there was the need to give measures put in place a human face in the spirit of African brotherhood.
The Rep. Ojir further asserted that such measures cannot stand since it was against the principle of free exchange of goods and services guiding member state of the economic community of west African states (ECOWAS).
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