Nana Addo should call Buhari over border closure- Lecturer demands
A lecturer at the Kumasi Technical University Mr. Collins Kankam Kwarteng is demanding answers from the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo over his failure to seek dialogue with his colleague President Mohammadu Buhari over the continuous closure of Nigeria-Benin border which was having serious trade issues in the sub-region since August 31, 2019.
Mr. Kankam Kwarteng, who was making his observation on Otecfm’s Nyansapo morning show on Monday November 4, 2019, expressed his disappointment at the President’s failure to resolve the issue on that level of diplomacy adding that President Nana Akuffo-Addo remains the only person to broker that trade deal in West Africa.
Ghana’s leader Nana Akuffo-Addo has openly expressed his profound disapproval over the border closure and he has since chided the African’s most populous country over the move stating it was adversely curtailing trade already in the region.
The President sent a joint Ministerial delegation made of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Industry Ministry who trekked on land from Ghana to Nigeria last week but their mission has virtually hit a snag following Nigeria’s announcement of the extension of the directive to 31st January 2020.
But speaking on the extension and other matters relating to the border closure, Mr. Kankam Kwarteng wants the President to initiate a process to resolve it.
”I don’t know what is delaying the President, Nana Akuffo-Addo to call his friend to plead to him to open the border even for a day to allow Ghanaian traders to pass? That one day would offer Ghanaians the chance to transport their goods home. Even President Putin of Rusia and US President Mr. Donald Trump irrespective of their differences do call each other to end an impasse so Nana Addo should take a cue. Maybe he might have called him but he has refused to listen to him due the economic gains from the closure to the Nigeria.’
Mr. Kankam Kwarteng who commended the Nigerian government for the border closure intimated that he has no issues with the move adding that they have the right to do whatever would to improve their economy especially to curb illegal importations into the country. Quoting GIPC Law 2013, (Act.865) section 27 (1), he demanded why the Ghanaian counterparts were not implementing the regulations after six years of the passage of the law.
‘I dole out my heart for the Nigerians for their new trade policies for her own brothers in Africa. But I don’t know why we are not enforcing the GIPC law to ban foreigners from engaging in retail business. If the Nigerians have seen the need to close their borders to us what stops us from implementing our laws. Why should Ghana champion African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA) at the expense of our trade and other ECOWAS protocols? Ghana needs to emulate them and ensure stiffer adherence to our laws by the foreign national.”
He entreated the Nigerians to make the border closure permanent if that would correct the wrongs associated with their trade economy in their society insisting they have not violated any trade law.
Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com/ Asante-Yeboah Benedict
