HOSTILE attitudes toward Nigeria and Nigerians by the Republic of Ghana and Ghanaians have been on the steady rise in recent years. To beat back Nigerian traders in Ghana, the Ghana Union of Trade Associations, GUTA, had pressured the government to make a law mandating any foreigner wishing to engage in trade in Ghana to show proof of having a deposit of US$300,000 in his or her company account or goods equivalent to that amount in stock.

Based on this legislation which ignores the revised ECOWAS protocol on free trade and integration of markets, Nigerian traders were especially targeted for shutdowns, harassments and evictions. Ghanaians have also been on the verge of levying xenophobic attacks, especially on Nigerians in spite of the sisterly historic ties between the two Anglophone West African countries.

The demolition, last weekend, of a residential building in the Nigerian High Commission in Accra was not only a slap on the face of Nigeria but also a gross violation of Article 22 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. It regards a foreign mission’s property in any country as inviolable and must not be entered by anyone without permission. Nigeria and Ghana, in their official reactions, have affirmed this much.

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Apparently, the lease on the land on which the property was erected had expired and rather than complete arrangements to renew it, the Nigerian authorities went ahead to build residential structures on it. The alleged owners linked to the Osu Traditional authority in Accra, came with a detachment of armed security officials and bulldozers and knocked down the structures. Efforts by Nigerian officials to alert the authorities failed until the aggressors had completed their mission.

We condemn this act of naked aggression on Nigeria’s territory and put the blame squarely at the doorpost of the Nigerian and Ghanaian governments. The Nigerian government thought Ghana was like Nigeria where government does as it wishes and ignores the rules of engagement simply because it has state powers. Ghana also, in a show of international lawlessness and irresponsibility, looked the other way while this act was perpetrated.

We find the Ghana government’s description of the private aggressors as “unknown and unidentified persons” absurd and unacceptable. The Minority Parliament of Ghana has affirmed that the demolition was “carried out under the full protection of state security”. The government of Ghana must bear full responsibility for this ugly incident.

We, however, do not believe that reprisal actions, as advocated in several quarters, is the right way to address the issue. The two governments should work together to unravel the matter and punish the perpetrators, while Ghana rebuilds the edifice at its own cost.

African countries must emulate the Europeans and Asians in forging progressive and productive relationships.

VANGUARD