President John Dramani Mahama has moved to allay fears among Nigerian nationals in Ghana and their government, assuring that there are no plans for mass deportations.
During a courtesy call from Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, President Mahama reassured the delegation—dispatched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu—that Ghana remains committed to peaceful coexistence and regional protocols.
The visit followed growing concern in Nigeria sparked by a viral video suggesting imminent deportations and the possible targeting of Nigerian-owned businesses in Ghana.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu relayed the deep anxieties of both the Nigerian government and its people, noting that the issue has triggered emergency debates in Nigeria’s National Assembly and calls by traditional leaders for family members in Ghana to return home.
Mahama urged calm, referencing ECOWAS protocols that allow for the free movement of citizens across West Africa.
“We are members of the ECOWAS, and we have the ECOWAS protocol that allows our citizens to travel freely between our countries.”
He condemned any form of collective punishment, emphasizing that while isolated incidents involving foreign nationals may occur, offenders are dealt with on an individual basis through legal channels.
“I think that that is a part of our past, and it’s an unfortunate past that we want to put behind us, and I believe that none of our two countries should mass deport our citizens ever again.”
Addressing the source of the panic, President Mahama explained that the unrest stemmed from the resurfacing of a 2013 video featuring an “Igbo king” discussing land acquisition for a kingdom—an old clip now misrepresented as a recent event.
He dismissed the alarm as “a storm in a teacup,” assuring that Ghanaian laws do not permit the creation of foreign traditional councils.
Minister Odumegwu-Ojukwu thanked President Mahama for clarifying Ghana’s position and commended his leadership in de-escalating what could have been a volatile diplomatic situation.
