The Nigerian government has said it may be forced to sue the Ghanaian government at the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS Court) for closing down shops owned by Nigerians across the country.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, made this known while hosting a delegation of the Progressive Ambassadors of Nigeria (PAN) led by its President, Mr. Jasper Emenike. According to him, if Ghana was found to have breached the sub-region’s protocol of free movement of peoples, urgent steps will be taken.
“We don’t want to anticipate what our actions would be but we will consider all the options depending on the facts. Clearly, if it is contravening ECOWAS protocol, then we would have to look at solutions, including the ECOWAS Court as the final arbiter. We will also consider the issue of reciprocity in terms of the concrete measures that will be applied.”
Mr. Onyeama expressed dismay at how the government of Ghana handled the situation based on alleged violation of trade regulations.
Prior to this, a video was circulating showing a Nigerian man speaking to security agents locking up his shop where he claimed he was asked to pay one million dollars as tax.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Ghana has denied assertions of unfair treatment to Nigerian traders in the country during the enforcement of the Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GIPC) regulations. The Ministry maintains that the traders are required to pay taxes and other fees imposed on them by the authorities which amounts to $1 million.
Mr. Onyeama further revealed that an agreement had been reached with Ghana about a year ago over the GIPC regulations but is unsure as to why the issue has been reopend. He added that the Ghanaian regulations that stipulate that retail trade is the exclusive preserve of Ghanaians is contrary to the ECOWAS Protocol.
“What is the point of having an economic community if at the end of the day each country will make laws and regulations that are in contradiction with the protocol? That is an issue that needs to be addressed. The first step we want to take is to be sure about all the facts. Our Minister of Trade is going to engage his counterpart from Ghana. We have summoned the Ghanaian High Commissioner, who has given us information; we have the intention of calling our Charge’ D’ Affairs in Ghana for consultation and again to get the fact.”
He again assured that his outfit and the Nigerian government are looking to resolve the issue soon.
“We are following the matter very closely and we want the matter to be addressed within the shortest possible time”
The ECOWAS protocol relating to the free movement of persons, residence and establishment stipulates the right of ECOWAS citizens to enter, reside and establish economic activities in the territory of other member states and offers a three-step roadmap of five years each to achieve freedom of movement of persons after 15 years.
