Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, says he will embark on a ‘legislative diplomacy’ visit to Ghana on Wednesday, over hostilities against Nigerians living in the West African country.
Gbajabiamila revealed this to State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday.
According to the Speaker, he got the permission from President Buhari to meet with his Ghanaian counterpart to find a solution to the problem.
“I am leaving for Ghana tomorrow to meet with the Speaker of the Parliament in Ghana to look at the issues on ground as it affects our citizens, to try and calm things down to see if there is a way forward.
“I informed the President; he is aware of every single step that we are taking. We hope that we will come to an amicable settlement one way or the other,” he said.
The Speaker explained that his mission to Ghana is to “discuss and see how the two countries can resolve whatever the issues are. It is not about making demands, it is diplomacy.”
This happens four days after the Nigerian Government warned that it would no longer tolerate the maltreatment of its citizens in Ghana.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed , on August 28 issued a statement stating the Federal Government is deeply concerned by the incessant harassment and the progressive acts of hostility towards the country by Ghanaian authorities.
To Mohammed, the current administration is urgently considering a number of options, as part of measures to contain the situation.
He also made known that the government “has been documenting the acts of hostility towards Nigeria and Nigerians by the Ghanaian authorities.”
However, on August 30, Ghana’s Information Minister, Endkojo Oppong Nkrumah’s reaction faulted claims made by the Nigerian government.
He then explained that President Nana Akufo-Addo will engage with President Muhammadu Buhari to resolve the matters amicably.
While reassuring the country’s commitment to maintaining what could be described as warm relations between the two countries, Nkrumah said the move is necessary to guard against straining the diplomatic ties.
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