Nigerian traders in Ghana decry closure of their shops by Ghanaian authorities

Mr Chukwuemeka Nnaji, President of Nigerian Traders Union in Ghana, on Saturday decried Ghanaian authorities’ closure of shops owned by Nigerians doing business in the country. Nnaji, who made this known in a telephone interview with the Newsmen urged the Federal Government to intervene in the matter. He said that shops belonging to Nigerian traders in Accra were locked up by Ghanaian authorities who demanded cash payment of one million dollars from them before the shops would be opened.

According to him, an inter-ministerial Tasktask force went round on Aug. 10 to identify shops owned by Nigerian traders and request for registration of business taxes, resident permit, standard control and Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GIPC) registration. “Most of our members do not have the GIPC registration, because it requires one million dollars cash or equity and they gave us 14 days within which to regularise.

“As of Thursday, they had moved to another area and started locking up shops of Nigerian traders. “Nigerian life in Ghana matters. This is livelihood of Nigerians being destroyed by Ghanaian Authorities. This is not being  perpetrated by a trade union, but Ghanaian authorities. “They demanded that we must employ a minimum of 25 skilled Ghanaian workers and must not trade in commodities that Ghanaian traders have applied to trade in,” Nnaji said.

“The humiliation of Nigerians is getting out of hand. We are calling on the Nigerian government to come to our aid.

”We have legally registered our businesses and we pay taxes,” Nnaji said. (NAN)