The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has called for calm following calls by some Ghanaians for the deportation of Nigerians from their country.
She made the appeal on Wednesday during a joint press briefing in Ghana.
Addressing the media, Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the viral videos of the protests had stirred anxiety, prompting her visit to Ghana to gain firsthand insight into the situation.
“Since I arrived, I haven’t seen people burning tyres in the streets or carrying placards everywhere calling for Nigerians to be deported,” she stated.
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“This shows that the Ghanaian government and the president have stepped up to the situation — I would say there’s no cause for alarm, they are handling the situation effectively, and we will continue engaging stakeholders.”
She added that meetings had already been held with some community leaders and individuals involved in the matter as part of efforts to ease tensions.
Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Ablakwa, also addressed the issue, saying the government is actively responding and has engaged with members of the Nigerian community.
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“The Ghanaian government will ensure that everyone in the country — citizens and non-citizens — is protected,” he said.
He emphasized that while all residents would be safeguarded, it was equally important for everyone to be “law-abiding and avoid criminal activities and actions that could divide us.”
Background
Over the weekend, a group of Ghanaians held a protest demanding the deportation of Nigerians, claiming that their conduct was inconsistent with Ghanaian cultural values.
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The demonstrators, mainly local traders, carried placards and voiced concerns that their Nigerian counterparts were allegedly contributing to rising criminal activities and disrupting market order.