NIGERIA & GHANA; A History of Brotherhood or Xenophobia?
Ghanaians that were sent back to Ghana via Sea during the Ghana Must Go incident of 1983
This blog is written in light of the recent xenophobic ATTACK against Nigerian embassy in Ghana. It delves deeply into the historical and present-day relationship between the two countries, aiming to give the younger generation knowledge and perspective on the situation. This blog is in no way intended to foster hate or anger; rather, I sincerely hope it serves to promote understanding.
The history between Nigeria and Ghana goes back centuries, and according to some sources, this shared history between these two pivotal nations in Africa extends even further and deeper. It is a well-known fact that the Ga-Adangbe people of Accra, in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, trace their origins to the Yoruba people, one of the three prominent tribes in Nigeria. If we are to believe the account of Oduduwa, the first King of Yorubaland — which tells that one of his sons and their families settled in Ghana — then the relationship and interaction between Nigerians and Ghanaians has spanned well over 1,000 years.
Nigeria and Ghana coexisted without major issues until 1969, during the regime of Kofi Abrefa Busia, when the Alien Compliance Order (ACO) was passed and implemented by the Ghanaian government. In today’s terms, the ACO would be considered a serious violation of human rights. This law empowered many Ghanaians to seize properties and wealth from the hundreds of thousands of Nigerians living in Ghana at the time. While the law applied to all foreigners, Nigerians — in particular — were targeted, whereas other foreign nationals such as the Lebanese, Chinese, and Europeans were largely unaffected.
No consideration was given to those who had intermarried, or to individuals who had served the Ghanaian system with dedication all their lives. There was no compassion for families who had lived in Ghana for three or more generations. Every Nigerian was forcefully and unlawfully expelled, and their properties were confiscated.
This event marked the first recorded mass xenophobic attack in African history. In the chaos, Nigerians were killed, dispossessed, and subjected to sexual violence. Before this incident, Nigerians in Ghana — primarily Yoruba and Igbo businesspeople — had prospered and lived without major conflict.
I believe that the Alien Compliance Order was simply a ploy by corrupt individuals in power to exploit chaos for their own enrichment. In the aftermath, those who truly profited from the confiscation of Nigerian properties and wealth were members of the Ghanaian leadership and political elite.
This misguided act on the part of Ghana led to a decisive response from Nigeria in 1983, under the presidency of Shehu Shagari, in what the world has come to know as the “Ghana Must Go” incident. While the Alien Compliance Order forcibly expelled around 300,000 Nigerians from Ghana — stripping them of everything they had worked for — Nigeria’s retaliation was even more devastating: an estimated 2,000,000 Ghanaians were expelled from Nigeria, losing their homes, families, and livelihoods.
The Ghanaian government, in enacting the ACO, failed to consider that there were far more Ghanaians living in Nigeria than Nigerians in Ghana. The order was brutal and unjust — but Nigeria’s reaction, though a response, was equally brutal and arguably even harsher. Many on both sides died, countless families lost everything, and there were widespread reports of rape and other forms of abuse.
There is a saying that wherever two people fight, both share some fault. The issue between Ghana and Nigeria, when truly analyzed, is a squabble between siblings — the most common type of conflict in the world. But it is time that this quarrel, which has grown into a deep mental bias and misconception on both sides, be dissolved.
I often hear Ghanaians speak about the “Ghana Must Go” incident without knowing that Ghana was the first country to take such action against Nigeria. Regardless of the scale of Nigeria’s reaction, I believe many Ghanaians would change their perspective if they realized that Ghana expelled Nigerians first — and that many Nigerians also lost their lives and wealth in the process. This was, for all intents and purposes, unprovoked. The Alien Compliance Order (ACO) implemented by former President Busia was simply a poorly conceived political move. Had he foreseen the decades of division and bad blood it would create, I doubt such a policy would have been enacted.
But this is 2019 — many years removed from 1969 and 1983. The two presidents who led the countries during those times are long gone, so why does the culture of mistrust and victimization persist? I believe it is time for Ghanaians and Nigerians to come together in brotherhood. These are my reasons why Ghana and Nigeria must let go of past animosities and see themselves as one people:
- Nigeria and Ghana are, in my view, the two most intermarried countries in Africa.
- Nigeria has always been Ghana’s closest ally in history, both militarily and economically.
- As English-speaking nations in the same region, our futures are tied. If we are not strong allies, we are both weakened in times of conflict.
- Dysfunctional families create dysfunctional societies. Many Ghanaians and Nigerians are intermarried, and we must ensure that the children of these unions are not treated as outcasts. A child who grows up feeling rejected often becomes a problem for both societies. Nothing good comes from turning an innocent child towards bitterness and resentment.
- This is an age of technological advancement. Many young Nigerians and Ghanaians are achieving great things. If we promote trust between our societies, these young intellectuals, working together, can bring unprecedented development to both nations.
From personal experience, I have lived my entire life as a Nigerian within Ghanaian society. I have seen the noblest hearts in Ghana and in Nigeria, and I have also seen the worst in both. I know in my heart that if the media and our communities can promote love and brotherhood between Nigerians and Ghanaians, wherever we may be, we can achieve greatness together.
We must remember that in the eyes of many Arabs, Europeans, and Asians — whose approval we often value far more than we should — we are simply black people. They do not care whether we are Ghanaian or Nigerian when they discriminate against us. To the world, we are not defined by our nationalities, but by the color of our skin.
The relationship between Nigeria and Ghana has been rocky, but no one alive today can deny that both nations have benefited immensely from each other. It is time for the older generation to stop whispering bitterness into the ears of the young. It is time for this generation to decide its own fate. We can either let go of a past we were never a part of, and work together to create a great future for both peoples, or we can sink separately into the abyss of bias, a slave mentality, and collective failure.
The choice is ours.
About The Author
This is a profound blog-post!
The historical narratives are true and disturbing. However, we need to know these things to guide our steps into the future.
I think, it will also be a good idea if we took a look at the issue of what currently prevails in criminology space. Are more Ghanaians into violent crimes in Nigeria than are Nigerians in violent crimes in Ghana? Although the write-up is conciliatory and for which I appreciate the author, yet, sometimes the solution to a problem is identification of the overarching cause and dealing with it. If any of the citizens misconduct themselves in the country of the other, the laws must step in, without fear or favour, but devoid of Xenophobia, to deal with them. Let us also speak to our brothers to desist from what divides families.
Again, I maintain that this is a profound post and I am going to direct traffic to the site.
Long live Ghana; Long live Nigeria! We are siblings forever.
The answer to the question of whether more Ghanaians are into violent crimes in Nigeria than are Nigerians in violent crimes in Ghana? Is one that truly can never be figured out. We can only speculate but knowing human beings, everyone will speculate in favor of their own mental biases.
Nigerians in Ghana have said this over and over again, if anyone is caught and found to be guilty by law, let them face the consequences of their actions, I have been a part of many Nigerian organizations and I can tell you that no one is lobbying for a criminal return from jail.
In every country we have bad eggs and comparing Nigeria to Ghana in crime rate is somewhat unreasonable, the Nigerian territory is larger than Ghana, the Nigerian population is larger than that of Ghana, so to compare the two is somewhat reasonable. 25 million compared to 300 million? As I said, very unfair.
But If there should be a comparison we can try comparing the amount of people committing crimes in Ghana in respect to the percentage of those having business and trying to make a living for themselves. Considering how many Nigerians are in Ghana, by assumption alone, you will understand that the Nigerians that actually commit crimes in Ghana are less than 1% of the total Nigerian population. If this is the case it doesnt make sense to torment and harass the peace of 90% based on the actions of less than 1%. Nigerians are generally louder than Ghanaians but even with this, I do not believe that a persons loudness should be seen as a sign of criminality. There are a lot of false information on blogs and I saw this one, when 3 separate crimes were said to have been committed by Nigerians on a certain blog, this lead to speculations but in the end none of the crimes even concerned Nigerians. It is also interesting that before the Nigerian man who used to Kidnap people in Nigeria was caught and exposed to have his base of operation in Ghana, Nigerians were not known as kidnappers in Ghana. There are only 2 confirmed cases of kidnap involving Nigerians who were working with Ghanaians. How come that the entire Nigerians in Ghana as a whole are now kidnappers because someone from Nigeria was involved in just 2 cases?
The way this kidnap issue has been pounded into our heads, you will believe that people are being kidnapped by Nigerians everyday. Im not saying Nigerians are saints but at the same time Nigerians arent devils whose only passion is crime. The media has really destroyed the image of Nigerians in Ghana and this has made the easily impressionable begin to act out against Nigerians irrespective of who they are, as long as they are under the umbrella of Nigeria.
Its as I said, the crimes Nigerians are said to commit are also committed by Ghanaians, in the same way we must agree that the both parties are capable of tremendous good. Time has come to do away with the sentiments of “I am better than you” and learn from each other so as to not only enhance the lives of Ghanaians or Nigerians but to enhance the lives of Many Africans who will remain in darkness, until the black stars of Ghana and the sleeping giants of Nigeria awakens and embrace their destinies to lead Africa out of the darkness of colonial impediment.
Anago man, re-echoing the words of Albright A. Banibensu, this is a profound write up. His question of a crime rate is only a rhetorical one which should be left to the discerning reader. To go into the attempt of answering such questions only leaves you at one side of the river. If your true purpose of this blog is to promote peace, then stop throwing your weight behind a party. No one loves what history has taught us. I believe calculated attempts should be made to find lasting solutions to events as they unfold. I believe the High Commissioners in both countries are good points of reference at both sides.
Thanks for the comment and I assure you that my intention isnt to demonize one party but to show the two that great evil can come when we react to each other without understand and bias. Once again thanks for commenting.
My name is Alhaji Ismail lawan, I still stand by my comment only will attack Nigerians in Ghana. I am a Ghanaian, if Nigeria have done something wrong let’s the deal with him. Don’t generalized it to them all.