Ghana’s President, John Mahama, has assured Nigerians of their safety in the country, emphasising that xenophobia has no place in Ghana.
President Mahama said this when he received the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, at the Presidential Palace, Accra.
According to a statement signed by the Special Assistant on Communication and New Media in the Office of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Magnus Eze, on Friday, Mahama urged President Bola Tinubu not to lose sleep over recent protests against Nigerian nationals resident in his country.
Mahama attributed recent tensions to the recirculation of a decade-old video made by a Nigerian resident in Ghana, which sparked protests involving fewer than 50 people.
He however, assured that the situation was swiftly managed and promised to protect the lives, properties, and businesses of Nigerians in Ghana.
Mahama reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of Nigerian nationals and their businesses.
He emphasised the shared history and brotherly relationship between Nigeria and Ghana, saying that nothing would be allowed to come between the two countries.
Mahama also reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) protocols, particularly those concerning the free movement of persons and goods within the region.
Earlier, the minister thanked Mahama for his hospitality since the Nigerian delegation arrived in Ghana.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said that their mission to Ghana, was to douse the tension in Ghana following a viral video against Nigerians.
She said that every Nigerian back home was worried about the situation and concerned about the safety of Nigerian nationals in Ghana, their properties, and businesses.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu also said that the visit was to facilitate the establishment of a permanent Nigeria-Ghana Joint Commission.
She said that the joint commission would help in addressing the youth and the issue of migration caused by the huge demography of unemployed people under 45 years.
“We are encouraging our youth to stay in Nigeria, and if it is necessary to migrate, they are to be great ambassadors,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.
She informed the Ghanaian president that she was meeting with Nigerians in Ghana to urge them to adhere to the laws of Ghana.
In a post on her X handle, she described the meeting as an engaging one.
“The Ghanaian President is committed to promoting peaceful coexistence as had hitherto been the situation between Ghanaian citizens and the Nigerian community and to ensure that both citizens and non-citizens, including their properties and assets, are safe and secure,” she said.
The minister was accompanied on the fact-finding mission by the Director, Africa Affairs Department in the ministry, Regina Ocheni; Director, Office of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Innocent Iwejuo, and Special Assistant (Administration) to the Minister of State, Ajuluchukwu Eze.
