The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has arrived in Ghana in a bid to resolving the issues arising from the $1m levy allegedly imposed by Ghanaian government on traders from Nigeria.
Gbajabiamila announced his arrival via his Twitter handle.
Initial meeting with my host the Speaker of Ghanian Parliament who met me at the airport Hon Prof Mike Oquaye. We will meet again this evening. pic.twitter.com/8ArXWWnXNF
— Femi Gbajabiamila (@femigbaja) September 2, 2020
Recall that the Federal Government, through the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, protested the development, saying it would no longer accept humiliation of Nigerians by Ghana.
In their response, the Ghananian authorities had stated that Mohammed’s claims on the issue were inaccurate.
Gbajabiamila expects this trip to chart a way forward, saying it’s similar to his “fruitful” trip to South Africa.
He said “It is called legislative diplomacy. If you remember very well, during the days when I was Leader of the House, I led the delegation to South Africa during the crisis there with Nigerians and we were able to accomplish quite a bit, to simmer things down at that time”.
He was however, earlier reported to have said the closure of Nigerian shops in Ghana contravened Economic Community of West African States trade protocols.
Gbajabiamila had informed the President of his intentions to visit Ghana over issue. This he also made known via his Twitter handle.
He said “I informed the President and he is aware of every single step that we are taking, and we hope that we will come to an amicable settlement one way or the other”.
Met with Mr. President this afternoon to brief him that I would be meeting with the Speaker of the Ghanian Parliament tomorrow to further explore ways of resolving the issues with our traders and strengthening our ties. pic.twitter.com/4111aSwdDn
— Femi Gbajabiamila (@femigbaja) September 1, 2020
