By Eshiorameh Sebastian in Abuja
Nigeria and Ghana have initiated diplomatic discussions following recent demonstrations in Ghana targeting Nigerian nationals.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has urged restraint amid growing tensions, particularly after some Ghanaian groups demanded the expulsion of Nigerian residents in Ghana.
During a bilateral press briefing in Accra on Wednesday alongside Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Ablakwa, the Nigerian envoy emphasized the need for calm. Her communications aide, Magnus Eze, confirmed the discussions in an official statement released Thursday.
Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu revealed that circulating protest footage had drawn serious attention from Nigerian authorities, leading President Tinubu to authorize her fact-finding mission to Ghana to evaluate the situation directly.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said, “We are here in the Republic of Ghana on a fact-finding mission as special envoy of President Bola Tinubu as a result of recent disturbances that have made the rounds in Nigeria.
“We are pleased to note that things are rather calm here. Since we arrived, I haven’t seen people burning tyres in the streets or carrying placards everywhere calling for Nigerians to be deported.”
The minister credited Ghanaian authorities for restoring calm, noting that on-the-ground observations showed the situation was less severe than portrayed in viral videos. She emphasized the historic ties between both nations and warned against inflammatory content that could damage people-to-people relations.
Her team conducted meetings with Ghanaian officials and community stakeholders to de-escalate tensions, while proposing formal structures like the Nigeria-Ghana Joint Commission to strengthen bilateral cooperation. Ghana’s Foreign Minister Ablakwa confirmed ongoing dialogues with all parties to preserve harmony.
“The Ghanaian government will ensure that everyone in the country, citizens and non-citizens, is protected,” he said, adding that residents must also be law-abiding and avoid divisive actions.
The minister clarified that circulating videos misrepresented actual events, revealing he had personally engaged with the Nigerian national alleged to be establishing a sovereign territory in Ghana.
He confirmed no such territorial claims existed. Reflecting on historical tensions, Ablakwa referenced Ghana’s 1969 Aliens Compliance Order and Nigeria’s subsequent mass expulsion of Ghanaians in 1983, emphasizing how both nations must draw lessons from these past conflicts to nurture present-day relations.
“Regardless of our shared history, if these things are not managed well, it will take us back to certain dark occurrences in our history,” he said.
Discussion about this post