Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has refuted widespread rumours about the influx of Nigerians to Ghana due to Nigeria’s heated political general elections slated for February 2015.
The issue went viral on social media recently with some reports indicating that the President of the All Nigerian Community in Ghana, Mr. Moses Owaru, said the influx of Nigerians into Ghana over the past few weeks can also be attributed to the general security challenges facing the country.
It cited the publication by citifmonline.com as source of the reports that Nigerians were coming to Ghana because of the heated political atmosphere in Nigeria; a claim GIS has strongly rubbished.
Nigeria will in February 2015 head to the polls to elect a new president and the country is also battling with the insurgence of Islamist militant group- Boko Haram, whose activities claimed over 2,000 lives in 2014.
These are believed to have contributed largely to the migration of some Nigerians into neighbouring countries in the West African sub-region including Ghana.
Mr. Owaru indicated that the security situation in Nigeria was likely to escalate during and after the elections which is why some Nigerians “wish to come to Ghana to stay till the election is over.”
He mentioned that since the Nigerian community in Ghana is expected to grow during this period, its leadership would “organise programmes to sensitise both the contestants in Nigeria and the Nigerians who are living in Ghana and even those who are coming.”
“It is to help them know how to comport themselves. They must live by the law and make sure they understand the environment they are coming in,” he added.
But reacting to the influx of Nigerians into Ghana in an exclusive interview with Today on Tuesday, February 3, 2015, the Head of Public Affairs of GIS Assistant Comptroller of Immigration (ACOI,) Mr. Francis Palmdeti, questioned the basis of the report of Nigerians fleeing to Ghana.
According to him, Nigerians have a large community in Ghana with quite a number of them returning for purposes of schooling and businesses.
Mr. Palmdeti indicated that the migration pattern of Nigerians entering and exiting Ghana was not unusual therefore the GIS was at a loss as to the claim of a mass movement of Nigerians to Ghana due to election.
He told Today that national security agencies were adequately prepared to address any security challenge that may arise due to the impending Nigerian elections.
According to him, the Ghana Immigration Service was on high alert due to the existing security situation in the sub-region and believes that with the collaboration of other security services Ghana was prepared to deal with security issues that may arise.
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