Nigerians-Must-Go: Tinubu, Mahama work at conflict resolution

By Paul Dada

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Ghanaian counterpart  John Mahama are already working together to end the protests against Nigerians in Ghana.

This was revealed by  Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mrs. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu  who led a Federal Government team Accra  the Ghanaian capital on Sunday.

Speaking at a joint news conference she had with Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Ablakwa on Wednesday, Odumegwu-Ojukwu said there was nothing to worry about.

‘’I haven’t seen people burning tyres in the streets or carrying placards everywhere calling for Nigerians to be deported.

“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 all stakeholders, ” she said.

She also  said: “We are here in the Republic of Ghana on a fact-finding mission as special envoy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a result of recent disturbances that made the rounds in Nigeria.

“The government and the people of Nigeria have been concerned with widespread protests that have taken place in Ghana, requesting Nigerians to leave and dousing tensions in Nigeria regarding the safety of lives and property of our nationals residing here in Ghana.’’

She called for a joint commission to tackle  tension caused by viral videos on an alleged plan by a self-styled Igbo monarch to build a kingdom in Ghana.

“I must start by saying thank you to the President of the Republic of Ghana, President John Dramani Mahama, for the warm reception we received when we arrived.

“We want to reiterate essentially that Nigeria and Ghana have long been partners as a result of our shared history. We have a special relationship that so much binds us together. And these sights of inciting videos and rhetoric are capable of causing irrepressible damage.

“They are capable of inflaming nations within the shortest possible time because young people don’t always consider the far-reaching effects of the actions they take, and sometimes, they jeopardise the lives of people who in most cases, are innocent.

‘’Our government has been concerned and ordinary citizens on the streets have been concerned about the tensions that have been generated in Ghana. They just want to be assured that Nigerian nationals in Ghana are coexisting very well with their Ghanaian brothers and that their lives are not in any danger at all.’’