RECENTLY, anti-Nigeria protests erupted in the Ghanaian capital city of Accra and other major cities where some people protested against what was alleged to be the attitude of some Nigerians living in the country. According to reports, the protests were inspired by the apparent escalation of crime rate in the country and encroachment by Nigerians on the informal sector of the economy, with Ghanaians seemingly losing out.
Given the warm relationship between both countries with their people sharing the same adventurous inclination and daring attitude to conquer their environment, it was an unnecessary throwback to the past when governments of both countries went down the ignoble path of expelling each other’s citizens. As is the case with the present pockets of agitations in Ghana, they were ill-advised measures that did not bring succour to the challenging economic situation that inspired the expulsions.
Both countries had an annual games involving athletes in their earlier post-Independence days that strengthened their bond of friendship and cooperation.
Beyond politics as a product of mis-governance that has afflicted the two countries, the economy and well-being of people have been the driving force behind the migration of their populations. The prevailing poverty in Nigeria coincided with a seeming prosperity in Ghana. Buoyed by a strong currency, the Cedi, at a time the Naira has been declining in geometric proportion, it is not unusual that Nigerians will be drawn to a more prosperous clime which Ghana provides as the nearest link.
It is gratifying that the leaders of both countries quickly moved in to douse the tension. In a visit to her Ghanaian counterpart, Samuel Ablakwa, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, appealed for calm following calls by some Ghanaians for the deportation of Nigerians from the country. Reiterating the long-standing relationship between Nigeria and Ghana, she cautioned against the spread of inciting content that could escalate tensions between citizens of both countries.
The main concern now is the rise of xenophobia in Africa as has been the case in South Africa. Since the fall of the apartheid regime and emergence of black majority rule, challenges that came with the opening up of the economy to the majority black population hitherto constricted by apartheid led to what became the delay in fulfilling the expectations of the people that looked forward to a prompt redistribution of wealth. It did not happen as quickly as the younger generation expected, leading them to naively assume that other black Africans were the problem.
There are echoes of the xenophobic attacks in South Africa in the Ghanaian protests. According to reports, the major grievances were that Nigerians in Ghana are responsible for the upsurge of crime and social vices, such as kidnapping, prostitution, human trafficking and others. Nigerian traders were also accused of allegedly undercutting their indigenous counterparts in trade practices.
This is a product of absence of enlightenment that continues to bedevil Africa. What we know today as the European Union came about after their leaders instituted responsible leadership and adopted templates and benchmarks on development and delivering dividends of democracy to their people. It is sad that 46 years after the ECOWAS Protocol was adopted, successive administrations in the sub- region have failed to take the regional body to the next level. When the governments failed to adopt the templates that hold holders of public office accountable, the younger generation, especially, is forced to seek better opportunities elsewhere.
The ECOWAS sub-region has to shed the anachronistic notion of every nation on its own. Member countries should pull together and adopt an actionable roadmap for the development of the sub-region. We cannot continue to blame the youth who cannot accept the failure of the various selfish and unaccountable governments. The leaders should learn from the emergence of the European Union. It was inspired by the desire to make their people enjoy basic and irreducible freedoms and services we see here as luxury. ECOWAS must drive the growth of the sub-region to the next level of prosperity for the people.
