GHANA-NIGERIA TIES MUST GROW (MARCH 27, 2009)

There appears to be a love/hate relationship between Ghanaians and their Nigerian counterparts, especially those who have relocated to Ghana.
On a number of occasions Ghanaians have accused Nigerians of being responsible for the rise in the crime wave in the country.
It is common to hear some Ghanaians remarking, “Oh Ghanaians are not like that,” and “Nigerians have distorted our values.” Consequently Nigerians are accused of all types of crime, including the incidence of armed robbery, drug trafficking, cyber fraud and white-collar crime.
Indeed, all the bad things that Ghana has been noted for in recent times, including the infamous “Sakawa” (computer fraud), have been attributed to Nigerians. It is unfortunate that the historic bond of friendship between Ghana and Nigeria is being sacrificed on the altar of mere suspicion and perception.
It is in this context that the DAILY GRAPHIC wants to examine the appeal made by the Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, to stop generalising criminal issues involving Nigerians living in the country.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that it would be an unfortunate generalisation if Ghanaians labelled every foreigner, including Nigerians, lawless, just on account that a few of them have been arrested for their alleged involvement in criminal activity.
We do not think that it is in the character of Nigerians to be fraudulent, but in every society there are bad elements. The Akans say that “Efie biara Mensa wo mu”, to wit, “In every home there is a third male born”, which means that although some people can have negative character traits, not all members of the community are bad.
Ghana and Nigeria have had long-standing relations and a lot of things in common. We are both former colonies of the British Empire; we are English-speaking countries and members of the Commonwealth. Arguably the two countries are considered the most powerful in the sub-region. In addition, there are many Nigerian businesses, particularly banks, operating in the country, while some Ghanaian business men and women are operating in Nigeria.
This is not to say, however, that the two countries have not had their ups and downs. We have been arch rivals in soccer competitions, while there have been healthy competitions between people of the two countries for supremacy in the fields of education.
No matter how relations between Ghana and Nigeria are looked at, there are a lot of things that bind us positively which can be further exploited to strengthen the existing ties.
However, putting much emphasis on the nationalities of people involved in crime tends to feed on the wrong perception that only Nigerians or people from a particular nation tend to be criminals or engage in criminal acts.
We call on Ghanaians and Nigerians to celebrate the positive things that promote progress and development and stop the stereotyping of people, including even our own people, because they come from a particular part of the country.
All that we are saying is that everybody, including foreigners who live on the soil of Ghana, must join forces with the law enforcement agencies to deal with criminal gangs, but we should be mindful that such actions do not unnecessarily strain the relations between Ghana and Nigeria.