NIGERIANS LIVING IN GHANA

By Nene Azu

The world they say is a global village. Everywhere, like we say in Ghana, is everywhere and we as citizens of this village should be able to move freely in it. Unfortunately, in practical terms, this is never been found to be true. In real terms, it is only in West Africa that people are actually ABLE to move freely and fairly without so called visas as required on the other side of the world. Of course, you can move from any state in the US to another freely, yearh?

For many of us therefore, in reality, the best global village is West Africa. No doubt that under the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of People and Goods, we here can move around freely. Hence we gravitate around often determined by the forces of demand and supply or by economic conditions in one country or the other.

A major  development in a rapidly growing economy such as one that has discovered oil, or is industrialized, enjoying high gold price and ever-increasing cocoa price etc, is that it begins to attract all manner of people from across the world. The good, bad and the ugly.  An increasingly propserous nation experiences a constant string of in-flows of people from all over the world, especially those nearby.

A typical case is the experience of what countries such as South Africa the US, Europe and now in hot demand is Asia are experiencing.

In the case of Ghana, the story has been that with the accollade as “the friendliest people in the world”,  people flocked in just to know and experience what this tag all meant. Today it is the advent of oil that is attracting all the different kind of people and businesses into the country.

With the attainment of independence and the natural assertion of nationalism, the existence of foreigners in Ghana and their worries and aspirations or problems that faced them became more apparent and of great concern.

For Ghana, the presence of foreigners could not be overestimated considering the pan-African undertones of Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s approach to every day life in the immediate post independence era. This was not limited to only the presence of Togolese, Ivorians, Beninois and of course people from then Upper Volta (Burkina Faso), but also people as far as from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia etc. But the presence of people from Nigeria catches my fancy.

 It is common knowledge that there are more Nigerians in every Ghanaian surburb than any other national from the continent or beyond. According to the 75th Anniversary Edition of the West Africa Magazine, as far back as in 1959, it was generally known that there were large number of Nigerians in Ghana than all other nationals. It was however, not known exactly which part of Nigeria they came from nor the role they played then in the Ghanaian economy. Presently the case is dfferent and I will enumerate it shortly.

The 1948 Population Census of the Gold Coast put the total number of Nigerians in Ghana at 46,800. Ten years later in 1958 that number rose to 67,000 due to increased migration and natural increase. Three thousand were known to be Yoruba or Hausa and despite the fact that they were born in Ghana, they do actually consider themselves as Nigerians.

Brian Stapleton of West African magazine in an article said Nigerians, with very few exceptions, do not usually migrate to Ghana permanently, adding that those who fail to return home are almost those who have not improved their economic position. “They may take Ghanaian wives, the father may never return to Nigeria, but still he will send his sons back “home” to build a house and keep the link with the family there. The more normal pattern is for many of the older people to return to Nigeria but to be succeeded in Ghana by younger members of the family.”

Brian notes that, “Hausa, Yoruba and Ibo all prolific traders”, in those times, “once they start to work away from home do not seem to make any clear distinction between an alien part of Nigeria or Ghana or the nearby French territories.” Where life will be good, there they go. Today Nigerians from all parts of their country have migrated, some living in Ghana and leading decent, distinguished blissful lives.

The love of Ghana by Nigerians (and vise-versa) is not lost in the sands of time. Almost 55 years down the line, we have in Ghana currently a total of a little over 1 million Nigerians living happily, though some with concerns, in Ghana.

In the 1959 article, Stapleton remembers that some Nigerians (Yoruba) were recruits from the Oyo area and fought for the Ashanti at the turn of the century with Private Ojo Oyo as an example of two Nigerians who received the Distinguished Conduct Medal. Some were known to have stayed later to trade, build the railways and supply firewood and pit-props to the gold mines. A lot became rich in the diamond trade, retail and small wholesale trading in a significant part of the economy and this still persists in modern day Ghana.

In the colonial and pre-independenced era and the period immediately after, it was known that Nigerians were really embedded in the Ghanaian economy as Winneba hosted the main waterfront stores in the hands of the Yorubas, while the Egbas, a strand of the Yoruba tribe where known to have dominated the Fadama motor spare parts, now known as the Kokompe and Kumasi Central Market, the biggest market in West Africa, held Nigerian festivals as well as numerous others who spent time and energy in the cocoa farms. There was of course ‘Lagos Town’, in Accra where it is believed a large number of Nigerians lived within sight of the residence of Dr Kwame Nkrumah himself.

Some Nigerians were bold and got involved in local politics with some of the prominent traders listed as Town Councillors. This cannot of course, happen today as voting rights and the right to stand to be voted for, is restricted and rightly so, to Ghanaians only according to the 1992 Republican Constitution and its predecessors as it were. I can hear you almost saying it flies in the face of some ECOWAS protocols, but who is responsible for that?

 As stated earlier concerning the spread of Nigerian in Ghana,  my research across seven regions of Ghana indicates that Nigerians are found in all of them undertaking a wide range of activities from trading, manufacturing, banking, media, construction, agriculture and of course the largest number being students, represented at all levels of the educational ladder.  Contacts in the three remaining regions of Ghana is not any different.  The same goes for the economy with the presence of Nigerian banks - UBA, Intercontinental, Zenith, GT Bank.

With a commanding private investment of 6.1 billion Ghana cedis in the Ghanaian economy, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre’s boss, George Aboagye in the “Ghana Oil”, an online news magazine is optimistic that the warm, cordial relationship between Ghana and Nigeria will work down to ensuring a greater ease of life of the people of the two countries.

He estimates that 184 Nigerian projects have been established in Ghana with a total investment of 5.1 billion dollars, making our brotherin the sub-region the fifth and sixth largest source of investment by value and number.

To some, this makes us suceptible to the whims of Nigerian investors in the event of a withdrawal of Nigerian investment, especially if there is no corresponding investment or back-up financing to aiment such a development. But on the whole, it is a clear manifestation of the growth and coming of age of the Ghanaian economy and its ability to attract quality, solid financing.

The next attraction for Nigerians in Ghana is in the areas of education.  Some months ago, Malam Lamido Sanusi, Central Bank of Nigeria Governor put the totalnumber of Nigerians in Ghana at 71,000, arguing that:”I would imagine this influx is largely due to the much stronger Ghanaian educational system.”

My investigations at the University of Ghana, Ashesi University, Zenith University College, Wisconsin International University College, Central University College, Pentecost University and IPMC, a top notch IT edcuation outfit all in Accra have all go to confirm Mr Sanusi’s assertion.

Cape Coast University, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi are other examples. Indeed the assertion is not unfounded; but grounded in the large number of Nigerians and other West Africans and indeed Africans who have gone through Ghana’s “sound”, “reputable” educational system and risen to either lead their countries or become successful individuals in their own right and by allinternational standards. Others choose to call it educational tourism and I bet they are not too far from the truth.

According to some, the situation “back home where things can be manipulated is completely out of the picture here in Ghana.”

James Okere, a Level 300 student is of the opinion that Ghana’s educational system is highly rated and is attested to by the huge number of Nigerian students who have made Ghanaian schools especially at the tertiary level, their priority destination. “Over here in Ghana, you are made to work hard and it is the only way you can earn your grades. There are sharp differences in how things go on here and we wish we had the same situation back home.”

Onome Elvis Enakem of the All Nations University in Koforidua in my research, when asked to give his thoughts on what being a student in Nigeria was like said: “It means you may not attend classes but you may come out with flying colours, because lecturers could bemanipulated in order to get marks.

But here in Ghana, the syetm is strict and encourages discipline and hard work,” Elvis argues saying that an average Nigerian student in Ghana takes his studies serious, knowing that its costs their parents huge financial sacrifices. For him there are no two ways about it. In one word, the major difference in Ghana, is that hardwork and discipline is encouraged, but theNigerian educational system is flexible and many things could be manipulated.”

On what some of the problelms they encounter in Ghana, Fumi Oladipo, said, “the disturbing thing is that Nigerian girls are too flashy and court high cost of living for the rest of us. “This has translated in high cost of accommodation, and transportation for us in this country”

“First of all, Ghanaian landlors do not trust Nigerian tenants, and I think the feeling is mutual,” as a result, they take exhorbitant rent charges, “thinking that we are rich and can afford everything,”one of the Nigerians I spoke to in Koforidua said.

Indeed, Ghanaians do have huge reservations about the Nigerians living with them. How do you expect to reaction to the constant arrests of Nigerians for 419 scams, armed robberies, child traffiking (of course with Ghanaian accomplices), not to talk of the irresponsible and reckless behaviour on our roads.  Often it is most obvious that a certain reckless road behaviourin a community is purely traced to    the Nigerians in the neighbourhood. But can someone blame Ghanaians for thinking and feeling the way they do about Nigerians?

This goes without saying that some lovely law-abiding Nigerians do live in Ghana and relate so well with their friends and neighbours and are considered worthy ambassadors of Nigeria at all times. It would have been good to mention names here. But guess the fact that good worthy ambassadors in the mould of Nigerians still do exist, is enough to motivate others to get on to the right path.

On the costs of education in Ghana, Mr Sanusi said he could not believe that Nigerian students in Ghana pay an annual fee of 155 billion Naira when “the whole government budget for all Federal universities in Nigeria annually is 121 billion Naira.”

The influence of Nigerian movies and music in the Ghanaian entertainment industry is massive and it does not seem it will abate any time soon. The role of event organisers such as Charter House and others ismost notable. Indeed, these organisations have done better over the last decade than the politicians have done in ensuring regional integration.

The issue of crime, cyber crime seems to have found a fertile ground with Nigerians and like  a student at the All Nations University in Koforidua said the earlier Nigerians, especially, found something more profitable andcrime free to do the better it will be for good neighhbourliness and regional peace and security.

Ghana stands tall because of what it stands for social justice, self determination ready to be the harbinger for the realization of the dreams of the people who come into her bossom. The fact that people are willing to migrate to the country or acquire citizenship is of significant importance and the earlier that the authorities wake up to the realities of the times and take appropriate action, the better it would be for all. 

Nene Azu, Accra, January 13, 2012