The Nigerian government on Friday accused fellow West African nation Ghana of routine “acts of hostility” and “harassment of its citizens”.
In a strongly worded statement, the Minister of Information and Culture said the Nigerian government was considering a number of options aimed at resolving the situation.
“The Nigerian Government is deeply concerned by the incessant harassment of its citizens in Ghana and the progressive acts of hostility towards the country by Ghanaian authorities, and will no longer tolerate such,” the statement signed by the minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, read in part.
Mohammed said that Nigeria had documented several acts of hostility towards it and its citizens by the Ghanaian authorities.
Some of the alleged acts include: seizure and demolition of the Nigerian Mission’s property in Accra and what it termed as aggressive and incessant deportation of Nigerians from Ghana.
Other accusations are: the closure of shops belonging to Nigerians, a media war against Nigerians in Ghana and tougher Residency Permit requirements for Nigerians compared to what Ghanaians are subjected to.
Mohammed expressed dismay that while Nigeria maintained its loyalty to the friendly relations with Ghana, recent events indicated that its stance was “being taken for granted and its citizens being made targets of harassment and objects of ridicule.”
Mohammed added that a significant number of Ghanaians live in Nigeria, yet they were treated better compared to what Nigerians had undergone in Ghana.
“The Federal Government will like to put on record the fact that even though over 1 million Ghanaians are resident in Nigeria, they are not being subjected to the kind of hostility being meted out to Nigerians in Ghana.”
Tensions between the two West African nations, which do not share a common border, simmered last year after Nigeria partially closed its border with Benin in August to curb massive smuggling activities, especially of rice.
The effects of the blockade were felt as far as Ghana as manufacturers complained about the impact on costs.
Nigeria was forced to deny that the closure targeted certain countries and clarify that it was solely aimed at tackling illegal activities.
In June, Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama spoke to the Chargè d’ Affaires of the High Commission of Ghana to Nigeria, Iva Denoo, to demand answers on the demolition of a residential building within its diplomatic premises.
Prior to that, Nigeria denied reports by a section of the media that it was involved in a diplomatic row with Ghana after the seizure of its diplomatic premises in Accra.
