Journalist and chairman of Ovation Media group, Dele Momodu, has reacted to the recent closure of some shops owned by Nigerian businessmen and women in Ghana by some Ghanaian authorities.
In a statement released, Momodu said the closure of shops of Nigerians in an African country makes a mess of the Black Lives Matter campaign which has engulfed the world in recent times. He pledge to give palliatives for the displaced Nigerian businessmen and women in the spirit of brotherliness. He called on all well-meaning Nigerians to come to the aid of the affected traders.
Read his statement below
“I note with sadness the viral videos of Nigerian investors being flogged and thrown out of their shops in Ghana. As an avowed pan-Africanist and a fanatical disciple of former Ghanaian President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, I have become traumatized about the future of Africa. The Osagyefo must be seething with anger and rage in his grave, if he could see how Africans are treating themselves at this time and age.
“Just imagine that this is coming at a momentous period when the world is campaigning that BLACK LIVES MATTER, but Nigerians are being kicked around like football by our closest Brothers and friends. And what is the excuse for this act? An incredibly brutal “Law” which stipulates that foreign small-scale traders must invest $1 million in the Ghanaian economy. How many companies in the world started business with such a stupendous amount? If the Europeans and Americans had promulgated such Laws against Nigerians and Ghanaians living abroad, many of us would have accused them of racism and discrimination. What is worse, some of these traders actually have their valid papers and registered long before the coming of this atrocious requirement by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, but the Law enforcers blatantly refused to listen to the cries of these hardworking but hapless traders.
“Another excuse is that they claimed Nigeria shut its borders against neighboring countries. While I agree that the decision to shut our borders is regrettable, this has nothing to do with Ghana. No Ghanaian has been asked not to do business in Nigeria. No Ghanaian has been asked to invest any compulsory amount of money before setting up shops in Nigeria. We make immigrants totally welcome here. I once intervened on behalf of a Ghanaian couple when their factory was going to be demolished amongst some illegal structures in Agbara Estate. I had to call the then Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, who exempted the Ghanaians on the compassionate grounds that they were Ghanaian investors in Nigeria.
Nigerians and Ghanaians have been too interwoven and inter-marrying for ages, including the current President of Ghana, the great Nana Akufo-Addo who was once an in-law of Nigeria. His cousin, Adelaide Ofori-Atta, was married to Chief Sammy Oluseun Olagbaju, a prominent Nigerian Businessman who died in 2016. Myma Adwowa Belo-Osagie, Princess Abba Folawiyo, Mrs Edith Korantema Koranteng Fajemirokun, are amongst many Ghanaian women married to prominent Nigerian families.
My personal love for Ghana, and respect for Ghanaians, has never been in doubt. I have been the Chief Promoter of Ghana to the world in the past 25 years. I once worked closely with The Hon. Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, of blessed memory, Ghana’s Minister of Tourism and Diasporan Relations in the cabinet of President John Agyekum Kufuor. Ovation International magazine was instrumental in showcasing the pristine beauty of Ghana to a global audience at the time. Many Nigerian companies started expanding their operations to Ghana, based on the positive stories we sold to the world, especially Nigeria. Today, Nigerians control huge investments in Banking, Oil & Gas, Telecommunications, Real Estate, Retail, Entertainment, Education, Hospitality, Tourism, Medicals, Aviation, Shipping, Transportation, Textiles, Churches, etc.
I’m saddened that all our efforts of those days are about to be wasted by this latest imbroglio.
“I have reached out, and obtained the full names and phone contacts of the Nigerian traders mostly affected by this unfortunate and unnecessary incidents. Each of them will receive my humble widow’s mite, with no strings attached and no political motives whatsoever. My motivation is just the fact that we should be our Brother’s keepers at all times.
I implore men and women of good conscience to stand up and intervene speedily in this matter. God bless The Federal Republic of Nigeria and The Republic of Ghana.”
LIST OF NIGERIAN TRADERS AFFECTED BY THE FORCEFUL CLOSURE OF SHOPS IN ACCRA, GHANA
1. CHUKWUEMEKA IHEJIRIKA
2 PAUL OKECHUKWU
3 JUSTINE IKECHUKWU NWACHUKWU
4 BLESSING UGWUOKE
5 CHINEDU MBANUGO VALENTINE
6 LOVETH CHUKWUEMEKA
7 JOHNSON ARINZE
8 PAULINK GLOBAL DIGITAL
9 GODWIN OGBU FRANCIS
10 SAMSON ANAYOANIAWA
11 TITUS EZEMA UGWOKE
12 TONY IZUCHUKWU ANYAEGBU
13 UGOCHUKWU UCHENNA ONUOHA
14 CHIKWENDU IKE NDUBUISI
15 IBEH KINGSLEY
16 DAVID IKECHUKWU MUANYA
17 AUGUSTINE EKWOH
18 OLIVER OMEKE
19 OKAAH OBURUZO
20 JONAS UGWOKE UGWUOGO
21 OBINNA LUCKY
22 EZE VICTOR CHINEDU
23 STANLEY UMEALAEKWE
24 IGBONAJU DESMOND
25 OKEKE NELSON
26 UGWOE ERNEST
27 ANI EMEKA SOLOMON
28 CHUKWUEMEKA T. P ONYEKAONWU
29 GOODLUCK MADUABUCHI OKWARA
30 OKECHUKWU SAMUEL
31 CHRISTOPHER UBANATU
32 INNOCENT UDE
33 CHINEDU DESMOND NWABURUEBU
34 KINGSLEY EJIKE MBADIWE
35 OKECHUKWU IFEAKANWA
36 BENJAMIN ONAH
37 TOCHUKWU JULIUS EZEH
38 UGWU ALPHONSUS IFEANYI
39 AMAKA VICTORIA
40 OHAYI CHIGBOGU PAUL
41 TITUS CHINASA
42 OLISA ADINDU KINGSLEY
43 EZE PAUL TOCHUKWU
44 IGWE PAUL IKECHUKWU
45 STEVEN OKOYE
46 OSMOND OSINACHI OKOYE
47 UDOKA NZELU
48 UGWU ONYEKA JOE
49 UGWUMADU ONYEDIKA CALLISTUS
50 CHUKWU VICTOR PAUL
51 FAMOUS HANNAH
52 KELVIN MAMAH
53 EZE SUNDAY
54 MARTIN ANAKUDO ARINZE
55 VIINE OBI NWODO
56 PETER TOCHUKWU
57 UGWOKE PATRICK
58 EMMANUEL OHEAKESI
59 UGONNANYA CANDY EZE
60 BENNEDICT REUBEN (TIGO)
61 NWAZUOKE CHRISTOPHER CHUKWUDI
62 RAYMOND UGWU
63 NKOKU NDUBUISI JACOB
64 UDENYI LEONARD
65 RICHARD DOUGLAS
66 JAMES UZAR KINGSLEY
67 ONUORAH EBUKA DESTINY
68 CHUKS EZE
69 SUNDAY JOSEPH
70 FRESSY EZE
71 KINGSLEY UCHENNA NNAEGBUNA
72 UGOCHUKWU RAPHAEL
73 AGUDILE CHIZOBA MIRACLE
74 PAUL ONYEKACHI UGWUOKE
75 IZUNABOR NONSO COLLINS
76 ONYEKE UCHENNA WISDOM
77 FLORENCE EZI
79 TOCHUKWU UBAH
80 BRIGHT OHIARA
81 OZIOMA ONWUZUGHA
82 JOSEPH UGWU
83 JOSEPH EZUZOBI
84 EMMANUEL IFEANYI
85 EJIKE DOMNIC
86 CHUPEZ ARINZE
87 RICHARD OBIDINMA
88 NNADI KINGSLEY EJIOFOR
89 OBI AUGUSTINE
90 SUNDAY DONATUS
91 EMMANUEL ADIBE
92 NWOKOCHA GODWIN
93 EZE LUCKY
94 LAWRENCE AMANDIANEZE ANIEKWE
95 ONYEANULA CHINEDU GODWIN
96 EZE FRANCIS
97 UKWUNGWU LINUS
98 COLLINS CHIDIEBERE
99 IBEH TOCHUKWU
100 ABUGU CLEMENT
101 FAVOUR ANITA
102 CHINEDU ONYEMACHUKWU
103 ALEX EZIOKWU
104 AMBROSE OGWUEGBU
105 EMEKA POLITE
106 BLESSEDUC AVENUE
107 NEWLY INTERNATIONAL UCHE CHUKWU OKEZIE
108 JOHN NKE
109 IHEAGWAM B. IYKE
110 NNAJI IZUCHUKWU
111 GLORIOUS BLESSED SEA LAND (TONY IGBOMALU)
112 FEDELIS OBI
113 MIKE EZE
114 CHIMA ORIAKU
115 OBINNA EKWECHI
116 AUGUSTINE UKPABIA
117 MONEKE MICHAEL K
118 OGOCHUKWU NWANKWO
119 EMMANUEL AGBATA
120 EMMANUEL IGWE
121 NELSON OKECHUKWU
122 IKENNA NWAKAOZOR
123 NNAEMEKA GODWIN
124 CHINEDU MBIONWU
125 AKONAM EZEANOLUE
126 CHINEDU OKPALAEKE
127 CHINEDU UKABIA
128 EMEKA UGWUNNWA
129 EJIKE EZEDINIRU
130 CHUKWU NONSO OKEY
131 STANLEY CHIMEZIE UDEH
Source: Lucky B.