Nigeria has begun moves to douse the ongoing tension with Ghana over the growing agitation by Ghanaians that Nigerians must leave their country.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to maintaining robust relations with Ghana during a visit.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu who stated this Wednesday during her ongoing two-day visit to the West African country said the relationship would not stop at government level but extend to citizen-to-citizen level.
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According to a statement by the spokesman to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Magnus Eze, his principal is in Ghana to address the situation of Nigeria-Ghana citizens’ relations and meet with relevant stakeholders at both ends including the President of Ghana, the country’s Foreign Minister, traditional rulers and Nigerians resident in the country, to ensure that the life, property and businesses of Nigeria and Nigerians living in Ghana are safe and protected.
Eze said: “As part of the engagements for the minister, a few minutes after touching down at Kotoka Accra International Airport, Ghana on Tuesday evening, she had a quick interface with the Inspector General of Police Ghana, Christian Tetteh Yohuno, who was on his way to London, United Kingdom.”
He stated that Odumegwu-Ojukwu continued similar engagements on Wednesday with Ghanaian officials and leaders of the Nigeria community.
She is expected back to Abuja on Thursday.
This was as Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), in a statement on Tuesday by Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, its Chairman/CEO, appealed for calm and urged Nigerians living in Ghana not to be provoked or go into violence with anyone, as the issue is being handled at the diplomatic level by the Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu.
She said the blanket outrage against Nigerians living in Ghana and branding them as criminals should be condemned by all.
“Nigerians are not criminals. They are good ambassadors wherever they find themselves, while those bad ones should be fished out to face necessary sanctions.
“Ghana and Nigeria are like Siamese twins. They are brothers and in the spirit of ECOWAS and regional integration, should continue to live in peace like brothers,” she noted in a statement signed by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, spokesperson of NIDCOM.
Dabiri-Erewa also advised Nigerians to disregard the videos circulating that Nigerians’ shops and property were being destroyed by Ghanaians, saying, “There is no evidence to that, and we must at all costs try to prevent any reprisal attacks”.
Similarly, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the government would handle the issue diplomatically.
He said, “We will engage them diplomatically.”
How it started
Last week, there was widespread protest in Ghana following repeated incidents of criminal activities blamed on foreign nationals.
Some Ghanaians had staged a protest in Accra, demanding the immediate expulsion of Nigerians from their country over alleged involvement in crime and social vices.
The protesters displayed placards with messages, such as “Nigerians Must Go”, “End Kidnapping”, “End Prostitution”, “End Armed Robbery”, “End Fraud”, and “End Ritual Murders.”
They accused some Nigerians in Ghana of fuelling insecurity and moral decadence in their country, with some of the placards carried by the protesters reading, “Who protects the right and freedom of Ghanaians?”, “Nigerians are kidnapping and using people for rituals”, and “Our kids are getting missing.”
In a viral video, several protesters are seen draped in the Ghanaian national flag while others donned red clothing — a traditional symbol of resistance.
One female protester, dressed in red and holding a placard, declared, “Nigerians must go because you cannot be in someone’s country and be doing anyhow.”
Another placard read, “Our Health At Stake Due to Mass Prostitution,” explaining growing public frustration over perceived health and safety risks allegedly linked to activities of some Nigerian nationals in the country.
One protester, riding on a motorcycle, explained how the presence of Nigerians in Ghana was fuelling insecurity in the country.
He said a time would come when even they and their children wouldn’t be able to go out and return home safely.
He pointed to the incident involving an official of the Ghana High Commission, who recently died in Abuja, after a robbery incident.
In another development, there was also a reported case of protests and intense public debate erupting in parts of Ghana following the installation of a traditional Igbo leader, Eze Chukwudi Ihenetu, as “Eze Ndi Igbo Ghana” (King of the Igbo People in Ghana).
The development was reported to have triggered a complex discourse around issues of sovereignty, cultural identity, and the limits of foreign community leadership in the country.
Youth organisations in Accra and the Eastern Region led the uproar, which escalated further after photos of Eze Ihenetu’s opulent palace in Accra—featuring regal emblems and elaborate architecture—circulated widely online.
Following the controversy, the South-east Council of Traditional Rulers in Nigeria recently abolished the use of the title “Eze Ndigbo” by Igbo leaders residing outside Igbo land.
A communique signed by prominent traditional rulers, including His Royal Majesty, Eze Okeke (Eze Imo), and His Royal Majesty, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe (Leader), the council introduced a new title, “Onyendu Ndigbo,” to be used by Igbo leaders in other lands or outside Nigeria.
Earlier immigration tensions
Under British colonial administration, both Nigeria and Ghana (then Gold Coast) witnessed significant inter-migration. Nigerians, particularly Hausas, formed part of military and trading units in Ghana.
Post-independence, the economic boom in Ghana attracted Nigerian migrants, especially the Yoruba, seeking opportunities in commerce and public service. This era reflected an informal Pan-African ideal: borderless brotherhood.
However, in 1969, the Ghanaian government under Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia issued the infamous Aliens Compliance Order and mandated all undocumented foreigners to leave Ghana within two weeks.
The move resulted in the expulsion of an estimated 140,000 Nigerians, triggering a diplomatic fallout. Ghana justified the action as a necessity to preserve jobs and stabilize its economy, but it sowed seeds of distrust.
And by 1983, the tables had turned. Nigeria, experiencing an economic downturn and rising unemployment, expelled over two million immigrants, including about one million Ghanaians. Coined as the “Ghana Must Go” episode, the term referred to the patterned travel bags used by deported Ghanaians.
Though Nigeria claimed it was enforcing immigration laws, many saw it as retaliation for Ghana’s earlier action.
Fortunately, by the late 1980s, cooler heads prevailed. Presidents Jerry Rawlings of Ghana and Ibrahim Babangida of Nigeria pursued reconciliation.
A joint commission for cooperation was established, paving the way for better trade, cultural exchange, and conflict mediation. These efforts helped restore diplomatic balance and signalled a renewed commitment to ECOWAS principles of free movement.
But immigration issues resurfaced in the 2020s. In Ghana, Nigerian-owned businesses were targeted in enforcement sweeps, prompting outrage in Abuja. Nigeria accused Ghana of xenophobia, while Ghana insisted on legal compliance. As nationalism and economic protectionism gained traction globally, their echo reverberated in West Africa’s immigration policies.
In 2025, protests emerged in Ghana calling for tighter border controls. Dubbed “Nigeria Must Go”, the movement mirrored past episodes and triggered fresh diplomatic concerns. While not state-sponsored, the rhetoric risked destabilising regional peace.
