Nigerian traders in Ghana have protested over the continued delay by the Ghanian authorities to reopen their shops which have been closed since last year.
The traders who protested under the umbrella of Nigeria Union of Traders Association in Ghana (NUTAG) said the continued closure of the shops has brought a lot of economic woes to them.
The President of NUTAG, Mr. Chukwuemeka Nnaji, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the shops have been under closure since 2019.
He said this was despire meetings between top officials of both governments of Nigeria and Ghana.
Nnaji said the protest was to press the Ghanaian authorities to reopen their shops, so that the traders can tackle economic challenges posed by COVID-19.
He said, “I am in talks in with my leader, Mr. Ken Okoha, National President of Nigerian Traders, and he has assured us that he will take our case up to the highest level in Nigeria.
“In fact, plans are on for him to move to institutions that are related to trade; I have known him for five years now and I know what he is able to do.
“I am rest assured that the leadership of Nigerian traders are working towards achieving this goal; some of you, who still have funds, should also continue to help other traders.
“Be law-abiding citizens, COVID-19 is still on and lots of businesses are affected; many of us are living from hand to mouth due to the downturn.
“If you do not have anything to do, stay at home; rest assured that at the end of October, if we are not evacuated, we will keep ourselves at the border.”
The Charge de Affair of Nigeria High Commission in Ghana, Mrs. Easter Arewa, assured the traders that the Nigerian government was committed to protecting their interests.
She was quoted saying,
“Government is not resting on your case; it is because of you Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of House of Representatives, came to Ghana.
“Likewise, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was here. In spite of his busy schedule, he came here and met with the leadership of NUTAG. He promised to continue with the cause on his return to Abuja.
“He has not failed; very soon, your situation will be addressed because a hungry man is an angry man. It is not nice to hear that in a brotherly country like Ghana, you are being treated like this.
“We have Ghanaians in Nigeria too and they are treated as brothers, so do not worry. It is a government-to-government dialogue”.
