Nigerian traders in Ghana under the aegis of the Nigerian Union of Traders Association in Ghana (NUTAG) and the National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS) have sent a strong Save-Our-Souls to the Nigerian Government to evacuate them urgently from the country.
In a letter to the Chairperson of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the traders said they want a “secure and peaceful return” to Nigeria.
The letter signed by 753 traders in the two associations, was delivered by a delegation led by the President of NANTS, Dr Ken Ukoaha.
They said that their evacuation had become imperative because of the “constant and consistent harassments, intimidation, torture, threat to their lives and the total lockdown of their means of livelihood in Ghana”.
According to them, their shops had been locked up for almost one year by Ghanaian authorities.
The letter reads in part: “Diplomatic niceties at the highest level between Nigeria and Ghana have not yielded positive results.
“Landlords are coming to ask us for rent. How do we pay with our shops locked up for so long? We are dying here.”
Dabiri-Erewa, while receiving the delegation, called for peace, stressing the need for all relevant stakeholders to continually embrace peace talks.
She said it was indeed sad that the traders` shops have not been reopened for almost a year, citing Ghana’s draconian regulations which breached ECOWAS Protocols on Free Trade and the Movement of Goods and Services.
She urged the traders not to allow tempers to rise, promising to convey their message to the appropriate Nigerian authorities.
She said the government would gladly welcome the traders back to Nigeria.
Author
Leave a comment