Here is a statement from a group called ‘Concerned Nigerians in Ghana’, over the lingering criminalisation they are said to be suffering in the West African country.
It was exclusively obtained by phenomenal.com.ng:
I greet you all this morning and I pray for your uplift in every aspect of your endeavour. It has become very important for me to write this SOS letter on behalf of Nigerians resident here in Ghana.
I am a Nigerian with legal residence and work permit here. In fact, I am one of the Nigerian community members and a Yoruba man.
We urgently need your assistance at this time. It has become a daily routine for the Ghana media, especially the multi-media group owned by Mr. Kwasi Twum, to always publish and broadcast unverified negative news about Nigerians and Nigeria on their numerous networks to incite the Ghanaian public against us.
There have been almost daily kidnapping, robbery and other social vices occurrences in this country – Ghana – all attributed to Nigerians even when their own nationals spearheaded, coordinated and financed such crimes.
A few weeks ago, every media house reported and shared on many other social media platforms news that a Nigerian was involved in the kidnapping and killing of a young boy of about two years in a place called Chinese around Kasoa in Central Region of Ghana. A few days later, it was realised that no Nigerian was involved in that incident as confessed by the family of the young boy. The media firms in Ghana and those on the social media platforms never came out to inform the public about the truth of the matter to date.
Several times, the Ghanaian media have continuously shared negative stories as related to Nigeria and Nigerians without due investigation and proper check. They never publish or share any positive news about Nigerians or Nigeria, such as the Nigerians students, Nigerian businesses, Nigerian banks doing wonderfully well in this country.
Recently all Nigerian banks in this country surpassed many indigenous banks in achieving the re-capitalisation policy of the Bank of Ghana, which is the apex bank of the land. Nigerians business community is very strong and doing well without access to loan in any banks here in Ghana whilst our students are topping the awards table at every university, both state and private tertiary institutions. But all of these are not good news to Ghana media as it belittles them for Nigerians to do well.
We agree that there are few Nigerians who may be involved in some of these vices, but our stand as the community has always been that it should be treated individually and not by always referring to Nigeria or its people as bad and criminals.
As a community, we had, time without number, approached both the Ghana Immigration and the Ghana police service to assure them of our total submission, our willingness, and every ready cooperation by exposing any unscrupulous individual(s) or group of people to them as we are not here to cover up crimes and criminals. The law enforcement agencies welcomed our gesture and appreciate us for the noble steps we took to have approached them, but the Ghanaian media do not see anything good about us.
They are in the habit of inciting the good people of Ghana against Nigerians, even our children at their various schools and institutions are not finding it easy.
Just a few days ago, some kidnappers were arrested and the news has it that 9 Ghanaians and 3 non-resident Nigerians were involved in the kidnapping of two (2) Canadian students on an exchange programme in Kumasi, Ghana. The leader of the kidnap group is a Ghanaian and a leader in local district politics; he is also a member of the ruling government of Ghana, National Patriotic Party (NPP).
Before the arrest of these kidnappers, a Chairman of the leading opposition party, the National Democratic Party (NDC), Mr. Ofosu Ampofo, was arrested due to a leaked tape in which he was planning kidnapping and arson to make the ruling government look bad and he was immediately released after Canadian, Australian and UK embassies issued security alert to warn their nationals about the state of insecurity in Ghana.
Many Ghanaians, including the media, were not happy with this release from the embassies when they realised how it is going to affect their foreign direct investment. Even a deputy minister openly chastised these embassies for their actions and said on national television that Ghana was heaven compared to Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya.
After this deputy minister’s statement, every media house here changed the fact of the kidnap incident by always and deliberately omitting the names of Ghana and their national that masterminded, financed and transported the 3 Nigerians into the country for this crime. They now fly with, “The 3 Nigerians involved in the kidnapping of the 2 Canadian girls.” We have told them in every opportunity that crime has no nationality, religion or colour; that they should treat crime as crime and not cover up their own nationals that are known criminals.
Average Nigerians work, trade in this country as against their host counterparts and we are still surprised why those working are tagged “criminals” whilst unemployed and unskilled youths are “saints”.
Some months ago, Nigerian shops/stalls were locked and Nigerians were physically attacked in some markets here in Ghana for doing businesses in the open markets. They claimed our business community has taken over all the markets and the Ghanaian traders instigated the Ghana Investment Promotion Centers (GIPC) to activate the chapter of their law that said “foreigners” are not allowed to trade, own store, drive commercial buses/cars, operate beauty salon, kiosks and other petty trading in Ghana. It took the efforts of some Nigerian business community and their Ghana spouses that travelled to protest this inhumane treatment meted out to Nigerians at their workplaces before our two governments intervened.
We as a community will honestly want to appreciate President Akuffo Addo and his cabinets for their kindness towards us. The same goes to the Ghana Immigration and Police service which are good to us even though their media always instigate them against us. These law agencies always take their time to investigate and do justice to the matters. Unfortunately, the media won’t come back to report the true outcome to the public. It will interest you to know these negative news is affecting our homes, especially some of us who have Ghanaian wives and husbands.
We hope you can come to our aid as our politicians are busy with something else. Two (2) Nigerian were killed at Upper West Region of Ghana some days ago and the killing was attributed to robbery. But they (Nigerians) were not armed robbers. It was a misunderstanding that happened between them and their landlord, whose son is a police officer. The police officer (landlord’s son) openly threatened to kill the Nigerians and he shot them. Now, it came out as a surprise to read in the news and in social media that the Nigerians that were killed in their own house were armed robbers. Even their neighbours confirmed that the 2 Nigerians were genuine and innocent businessmen.
A Nigerian professor who addressed a section of the Nigerian community over recent happenings in this country will be sacked today by his employer for speaking out for Nigeria.
We do not understand the diplomatic systems which restrict our embassy from initiating an investigation and coming out with their findings to always defuse the tensions against the Nigerians. Our Ghanaian spouses are of the opinion that our embassy is not proactive enough to stand up for us. The Canadian High Commissioner left Accra to Kumasi in the case of 2 Canadian girls and the Canadian government sent down security experts to assist their Ghanaian counterparts. But in our own case, we seem to be on our own. Let the Nigerian government too show more interest in our safety and dignity because we Nigerian nationals here are not criminals. We are not saying that anybody should cover whoever goes against morality and the law. No. But we are saying that unduly stigmatising us, and attacking innocent people is a crime against humanity and everyone should rise against it.
Help! Our lives and humanity are at stake now!
ALSO READ: EXCLUSSIVE: In schools, they now call our children kidnappers, Nigerians in Ghana
The Code of Conduct Bureau has rejected a Freedom of Information request by an anti-corruption group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, demanding specific details of asset declarations submitted to it by presidents and state governors since 1999.
This refusal, the CCB argued, was on the grounds that producing such information would amount to invasion of the privacy of presidents and governors.
The denial followed an FoI request by SERAP in April addressed to the Chairman of the CCB, Dr Muhammed Isah, urging him to provide information on asset declarations by presidents and state governors between 1999 and 2019.
SERAP also wanted the CCB to provide it with the details of declarations made immediately after taking offices and thereafter, and for those who had left public offices, at the end of their terms.
The anti-corruption group in a statement signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said the CCB in a letter signed by its chairman and received by the group, noted that paragraph 3(c) of the 3rd schedule to the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended) empowered the bureau to retain custody of assets declaration.
Oluwadare added that the CCB could only make them available for inspection by any citizen on such terms and conditions to be prescribed by the National Assembly.
He noted that these terms and conditions had yet to be prescribed.
The letter with reference number CCB/HQ/LU/047/59 read in part, “Section 12(1)(a)(4)(a)(b) exempt production of information relating to investigation for the purposes of law enforcement and such investigation must have been carried out pursuant to an act or regulation. Verification is an investigation carried out pursuant to the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act for the purposes of law enforcement.
“Referring breaches of the Code of Conduct for public officers to the Code of Conduct Tribunal for prosecution is a matter of discretion of the bureau and not a matter of FoI.
“Assuming the Freedom of Information Act is the term and condition, sections 12(1)(v) and 14(1)(b) of the Act make information in the asset declaration form private and producing such information would be an invasion of privacy of presidents and governors. Section 14(2)(3) of the same Act stipulates conditions for granting requests for private information but these have not been met by SERAP’s application.
“Consequently, I am further directed to convey to you that the request in SERAP’s application for information on details of asset declarations by presidents and state governors since the return of democracy in 1999 is hereby denied on the grounds that it falls short of the requirement of the law. Please accept the assurances of the highest esteem of the chairman of the CCB.”
Reacting to the denial of the FOI, Oluwadare, said, “Freedom of information is a fundamental right. The contents of asset declarations by successive presidents and state governors do not amount to private information as presidents and governors are public officers under Part II, Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution.
“Declarations of assets are constitutional commitments imposed only on public officers and made by virtue of occupying entrusted public positions and offices. Therefore, details provided in any such asset declaration forms are public information, and not private information.”
Oluwadare said the group would be challenging the CCB’s denial of the FoI request in court, adding that the CCB’s refusal to disclose these details was a breach of settled constitutional and international principles.
