So much has been said in the original thread, but I feel the need to share a very fine and insightful article I found on Ghanaweb with you. It goes a little bit into the history as well the current state of relations between the two sister nations. The full article is quoted, and links supplied. The original links have comments as well. I apologize for the length (I'm not really familiar with forum rules), but it's worth the read. I hope this article will shed some light on the nature of the relationship. Enjoy!

Part 1

If anybody assumed that Ghana-Nigeria relations experienced a height in highs only during the Kufuor years, that person needs to rethink the entire concept of Ghana-Nigeria relations. Long before Ghana attained political independence, the people of Nigeria had started making Ghana the preferred destination for a myriad of reasons, many of which bordered on socio-economic connections and ancestral linkages. If the Nigerians appear to be coming back, they might indeed be furthering the cause of a practice that their ancestors and progenitors have imbibed both in the psyche and activities of their offspring. The evidence, though hardly discussed by the aging generation, is what I adduce here.

S.O.A

The bearer of the above initials is probably the most industrious of the Nigerians ever to set foot on Ghanaian soil. Great-grandson of the illustrious King Dosumu, who founded the State of Lagos and handed same over to the British, S.O. Akiwumi was spirited to Ghana in order to avoid becoming the Oba of Yorubaland, when it became clear that he was the most intelligent of all the aging Akitoye’s children. In Ghana, S.O. Akiwumi flourished in business from 1887, easily becoming the richest merchant in Ghana by 1912. He it was who established the credentials of Ghanaian cocoa to be of premium quality, with his specially branded “S.O.A” grade that the British prided themselves in, buying his cocoa only from the producing districts of Mangoase and Pakro. It is interesting to note also, that S.O. Akiwumi was the first person to establish a wholly privately owned bank in Ghana as records available show. So fabulously rich and industrious was he that he owned the whole of what is today referred to as Makola. I have subsequently found evidence on how that place came to be called Makola, given that the name itself is of Yoruba origin. According to Honourable Kwamina Bartels, who conducted research on it during his student days at the University of Ife in 1974 (now Awolowo University) the word “makola” literally means “Lucky Child”. Bartels further explains that the “lucky child” concept emanated from a belief and practice whereby young children started the sales in markets for their parents to bring good luck. Thus, trading activity flourished insofar as the children made a sale of at least one penny after which the parents took over from the children and recorded record sales for the day. S.O. Akiwumi named Makola as such after ‘inheriting’ it from within his roots, notwithstanding the fact that the official name of the market was Selwyn Market, named (in)appropriately so after the British Governor-General of that era. Not only did Akiwumi own Makola and a chain of businesses in what is now Accra’s central business district; in 1918 he also provided the £150 that was used to start and develop the current headquarters of Ghana Commercial Bank. Until the British twisted his hands to relinquish his interests in the mining industry, S.O. Akiwumi owned the entire concession of Bauxite deposits in Akyem Abuakwa in the words of Odiasempa Akipataki Akiwumi-Thompson, grandson of S.O. Akiwumi and son of the famous Kojo Thompson who has a road named after him in Adabraka, Accra. Today, not only does the Central Government pay tribute to the descendants of King Dosumu, founder of Lagos State but more interestingly, S.O. Akiwumi’s children and grandchildren from 14 different wives continue to enjoy royalties from properties he owned. If ever there was a really rich man from Nigeria, it was S.O. Akiwumi.

I have recounted these matters to buttress the point that before an Adenuga or Dankote became what they are now, there was an Akiwumi who had fully nationalized and naturalized as a Ghanaian and thus settled not as a sojourner but full Ghanaian businessman. Records available also show that S.O. Akiwumi sold his Makola land to finance the upkeep of his 8 children (4 boys and 4 girls) in London during the years of the Great Depression, so that he was clearly one who placed a high premium on education, the fruits of which became evident in a record of Ghana’s subsequent second Speaker of Parliament prior to the second Republican Constitution, Justice A.M. Akiwumi and his son all sitting on the Ghanaian Supreme Court bench at the same time. Odiasempa Akipataki Akiwumi-Thompson again revealed that it was Dr. Nkrumah who approached Justice A.M. Akiwumi to take on Ghanaian citizenship in 1954 in order for him to have a successful practice in Ghana. The man took up the challenge and earned for himself the envious position, having graduated with very high commendations in London like his father before him and thereafter settling in Ghana. The Akiwumis thus flourished in Ghana, intermarried and deepened their roots while maintaining cordial links with Abeokuta and its contiguous zones. If ever there was any reference to a remarkable example of the Nigerian invasion of Ghana, it has to be the story of the Akiwumis, some of who still hold very sensitive business, political and legal positions within the Ghanaian body politic.

Not so for the thieving and deceptive lot that comes from the same place in the name of charismatic Christianity and sub-regional integration. These charlatans, hiding under the guise of spreading the word of God have found it expedient to use the genuine concerns of Ghanaians as the springboard upon which to launch their nefarious notoriety into the Ghanaian sphere. Take the occult ringleader friends of the very powerful in Ghanaian society for example: have they not capitalized on the illness and ailments of the self-same powerful people who have become their friends? Once upon a time, someone gained prominence with his book “Delivered From The Powers Of Darkness” in which he recounted tales of machinations brewed in the belly button of the dreaded Mami Water, a.k.a Queen of the Sea or better known as the mermaid ‘Queen of the Coast’. If Emmanuel Eni did it for so many years without being discovered, what makes us think that the likes of Joshua and his protégé Aminu are not doing anything different, given that they release doves in their churches to represent the Holy Spirit or step in blood before preaching to their hypnotized congregants? Unlike the Akiwumis who came in to provide legitimate and genuine employment while deepening Ghana-Nigeria relations, these “latter day invaders”, buoyed by the misinformed but spiritually thirsty ordinary Ghanaian, are worming themselves into the body politic without let or hindrance; who can stop them if they have gained the ear and attention of the most powerful people in this country? Combine spiritual bigotry with financial kleptomania and you have a potpourri of a state destroying elixir that can only serve the interest of those whose preference it is to sow acrimony between Ghana and Nigeria. Should we sit down for that to happen and watch with hot imploring eyes as if we are so helpless when we have a God-given attribute called a brain?

Can we imagine what the story would have been if the likes of Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa Balewa and others who had very close relations with Ghana and Ghanaian people had chosen to tread the path of selfish selfishness and with that, unleashed forces of ignominy and parochialism? Would both countries have benefited from the warmth and friendly relations that developed over the years? In the immediate aftermath of independence, did Ghana not enjoy an outstanding international image and profound respect from our cousins in Nigeria, ostensibly because of the almost flawless cordial relations that existed between the peoples of the two countries and as part of Dr. Nkrumah’s effort to strengthen and promote the cause of freedom, emancipation and self-determination? Granted that Nkrumah had a rather irritating tendency to undermine governments and people that did not support him, is it not interesting that he never “took his things” to Nigeria? Could it not be the case, that it was the goodness in the relations fostered through time that saw the elite of Nigeria’s intelligentsia educating themselves in places like Achimota School, the University of Ghana and other known institutes of higher learning in Ghana? If Shehu Shagari found Achimota a good place to study, why would military top brass, too numerous to mention here not find Ghana’s Military Academy and Training School the place to be not to mention the prestigious Staff College?

We are also aware, that it was the belief in the high level of training and personal integrity that compelled the people of Nigeria to invite Ghanaians to take up positions in their educational institutions. With the two oil shocks of the 1970s, Nigeria needless to say, became awash with cash, attractive enough to engender an exodus of Ghanaians to take up lucrative positions and contracts in the oil rich neighbor. If Raymond Okudzeto and Harry Sawyer among others made a fortune in those years, Nigeria can be pointed to as the platform upon which their fortunes were made. The financial rewards and capacity building that the petro-dollar boom of Nigeria engendered can still be seen in some of the remaining Peugeot 504 cars that ply our roads and the skills of personnel that migrated to enjoy the oil boom of Lagos. If ever a visitor to a house saw a model of tape recorder branded “Trident”, that can always be a clear pointer to the remnants of a largesse that symbolized the ‘Nigerian Returnee’ in those early 1980s. Until the unfortunate dismissal of Ghanaians from The Federal Republic of Nigeria in the drought years of 1982-83, Ghanaians had successfully done to Nigeria, what the likes of S.O. Akiwumi and “sons” incorporated did to Ghana in the years prior to the attainment of political independence and beyond.

In the 1990s, Ghana-Nigeria relations experienced a dictatorial high, as the military juntas of both countries solidified existing relations both at the governmental and social levels. Corporation spanned the security sub sector and the provision of petroleum support to Ghana from Nigeria and conversely training of personnel for the Nigerian service and security sector by Ghanaian instructors. The high point of these years was the dare-devil air show put up by the Nigerian Air Force for Chairman Rawlings (as he then was) by General Ibrahim Badamoshi Babangida. Squadrons of Alpha Jets, Jaguars and MiG23s were openly displayed performing aerial maneuvers and bombing runs to the admiration of Ghana’s visiting head of state after which General Babangida gave Ghana 12 L-29 Delphin fighter trainers as a gift. It is rather unfortunate that these gifts remain parked at the mercy of the weather on the Takoradi air strip in a state of pathetic disrepair largely reflective of our lack of maintenance culture. Did Ghana-Nigeria relations remain limited to military camaraderie? To a large extent, the answer to the question remains in the affirmative, for when Chairman Rawlings became President Rawlings, international pariah, the late General Sani Abacha became Ghana’s official Guest of Honour during the swearing in of President Rawlings. General Abacha attained international infamy when he hanged the Ogoni warlord Ken Saro-Wiwa and nine others after appeals for clemency from the entire globe fell on his deaf ears. Today, we know that the Rawlings-Abacha relationship was largely instrumental in “taming” Liberian warlord Charles Taylor and bringing relative peace to the West African sub-region as a result of their decisive and drastic action under the aegis of ECOMOG.

The post Rawlings presidency also witnessed new highs in the re-invasion of Ghana by our brethren from Lagos and beyond. Former President Kufuor’s tenure of office can be said to be the height of cooperation between the two countries. Records available show a personal warmth shared between Presidents Kufuor and Obasanjo, one which allowed the former to acquire greatly beneficial favours for his country from the former; police patrol vehicles, oil supplies at concessionary rates and terms, heightened international cooperation for the promotion of bilateral interests and to cap it all, constant participation at all G-8 Summits for the two gentlemen. It appeared a symbiotic relationship had developed between “Baba” and “Wofa” for one could literally touch the closeness and warmth that characterized both their personal relations and governmental interaction. It was in the throes of this love-love relationship that the current level of a Nigerian re-invasion of Ghana can be situated in order to determine how far it has gone to make or mar what was started by the Akiwumis of this world as discussed in the second part of this article…

Part 2

This concluding article was first written in September 2005. By popular request it has been rewritten to reflect current realities of Ghana-Nigerian relations. They still come in droves from the east. Whether by air, land or rarely through sea, they always pour in from the eastern coastline and border(s). They have however never done it through their awesome naval armada nor have they flown sorties spearheaded by squadrons of aging Alpha jets and MiG 29 fulcrums. On any given day, one is likely to find a person-laden car having a number plate with 'State Of Lagos' heading towards Accra and beyond from areas adjoining the recently computerized border post at Aflao. Their curiosity about Ghana in general and Accra in particular is fueled by tales of stability and tranquility but more importantly by the relatively lower levels of crime and the upholding of personal security by the good people of Ghana and the security apparatus of state. Some have even cited the "Ghanaianization" of high profile Nigerians who have taken up residence in Accra’s sprawling suburbs including my good friend Chief Dele Momodu, publisher and editor-in-chief of Ovation group of papers, the managers of Coca Cola, Intercontinental, Zenith, UBA and Amal Banks among other financial institutions stretching from energy insurance to commodities distributors. For this group of Nigerians, insofar as the likes of Dele Momodu, unofficial ambassador extraordinaire and plenipotentiary for West Africa find it more convenient and safer to reside in Accra, there certainly must be wisdom in setting up shop in Ghana. After all, is the entire Ghanaian establishment not pontificating globally about Ghana being the gateway to West Africa, even if Nigeria remains the final destination?

Pull Factors

Any casual visitor to places like the plush La Palm Royal Beach Hotel on a typical weekend is likely to think him or herself in Abeokuta, simply because of the heavy accented outbursts of jokes and laughter delivered with such passion in the Yoruba language. With such auspicious atmospheres of jollity, jocundity and joviality, our Nigerian brethren inspire awe in some and disdain in others, for they seem to know no limit in flaunting their wealth. Take it or leave it, these ‘invaders’ from the east know how to live and rightly so: they can only risk such luxuries in their own country if their personal security can match the firepower of those who make Ghana’s armed robbers resemble breakaway factions of Baiden Powell’s Boy’s Scouts. Without fear of any contradiction, all these ‘invaders’ reiterate the peaceful nature of Ghana and how "free" they feel here. For them, the fact that they can move about without let or hindrance when a party ends in the early hours of the morning is a major plus, for even in the high class areas of Lagos, the most daring of brave hearts is more likely to wait till broad daylight before venturing homeward at the end of such social gatherings. Movement although free, is free at the peril of one’s own bravado! Even my Lebanese friends have started complaining. On the fringes of social activities, some of my Druze and Alawi friends originally from the Land of Cedars have intimated to me how their favourite pastime at the baccarat tables has been invaded by ‘aliens’ whose accent readily gives them away as non-Ghanaians. Interestingly enough, these Ghanaians, who are in fact second and third generation descendants of Lebanese citizens quickly switch to twi and ga when they want to "do their own things" in the presence of these Nigerian ‘invaders’. As for our own Ghanaian kith and kin, they would rather make do with the win-win Department of National Lotteries although they would gladly sip at some South African wine while their Lebanese and Nigerian pals make "money swine". Globalization is marching unbridled even in the quietness of Accra’s growing number of casinos, what with very little Ghanaian products making it into the bellies of heavy spenders, their wealth of which dubious origins there is no difficulty in fathoming.

Not every institutional head in Ghana however has serious complaints about this eastern ‘invasion’. Some find their presence here a real eye opener and a blessing in disguise considering the contribution their visits make to both the recorded and underground economy. A typical example is the prominent chief of the Ashantis who enjoys visits from these “easterners”, especially when they grace his ceremonies ceremonially. There are others, like former Tourism Minister Obetsebi-Lamptey who look more at the positive side of the “Nigerian invasion” and retort "why not? Let them come here and enjoy our hotels and cuisine…would you rather they go to Paris with their foreign exchange?" One cannot fault such positions for any random check at our ports of entry, especially the Kotoka International Airport would reveal that the numbers of Nigerians who flock into Accra on Friday and leave Monday morning are increasing by the week. Just like the Greeks and Turks who fly into both sides of the island of Cyprus each weekend, such visitors point to the similarities in culture, the understanding and affable nature of Ghanaians, our commendable levels of tolerance and negligible display of xenophobia, unless of course, some Nigerian tycoon has found it viable to chase after the apple of some young minister’s eye. These ‘weekend Nigerians’ assert that they can find eba in most parts of Ghana without sweat, wash the meal down with some cold Gulder, belch their way to Aphrodisiac nite club at night and fly back to Lagos or Abuja all under $1000, something that is impossible should they choose to sample the delights of increasingly xenophobic Paris. Destination Ghana then, is the place to be for most Nigerians of some wealthy standing. The politically savvy among them like rice mogul Chief Aliko Dankote even tell you "this is what ECOWAS is all about". Ghana indeed does have an allure that is irresistible to most ‘Ecowians’!

Downsides

The above paints a rather rosy picture of well-behaved heavy spenders of Nigerian origin, visiting another sister African nation out of close cultural affinity, political stability, a warm and friendly people and guaranteed personal security. However, some concerns have been raised by well-meaning Ghanaians about some of the activities of our eastern ‘invaders’. These concerns range from the very subtle cross-cultural fertilization of expressions to the blatant criminal activities that dent the image of the Republic of Ghana. A few examples may suffice to buttress these points. There is no need to recount in full detail, what the former managing director of Amal Bank almost succeeded in doing to the Ghanaian economy, did to his own reputation, saddled his very political High Commissioner with and foisted on confidence within the banking sector and Nigerian run banks in Ghana in general. Even the uninitiated would not fail to recognize the introduction of ‘alien’ cultural norms and mores into the Ghanaian body-politic, including the rather anti-Christian copying of socially deviant attributes of Nigerian social life when juxtaposed against the backdrop of Ghanaian culture in the same sphere. If in doubt, just take a look at that the legion of Nigerian movies being showed with such unrestrained alacrity by our TV stations. Personally, I desist from watching those movies partly because of ancestral reasons; I have a rather fair idea of what the ‘eastern mindset’ is. If truth be told however, I partly deliberately refuse to watch those movies precisely because they insult my intelligence and that is even putting it very mildly.

But if a ‘cultural invasion’ is becoming part of Ghanaian-Nigerian relations, then far more worrying is the influx of myriads of high-tech confidence tricksters commonly referred to as 419ers. These people whose base of operations are the mushrooming internet cafes of Accra and elsewhere expose the weaknesses in our crime-busting agencies while making Ghana acquire the trappings of a dangerous gateway to West Africa. My most chilling experience was the discovery of an indenture and contract documents signed by a very senior judge of our superior courts of judicature complete with all the legal seals of Ghana’s legal system prepared under ten minutes right before my very eyes in an internet café here in Accra. The revamped visa fraud and cyber crime unit of the CID headquarters of the Ghana Police Service with oversight responsibility for these kinds of crimes would do well to deploy plain clothes policemen and women to monitor the internet cafes. The harvest there is truly plentiful and I hate to think the workers are few. Not all operators of the internet cafes are patriotic enough to report the activities of these deviants especially because they benefit financially if a ‘deal’ goes through or as they are wont to say "why make I report to police? They go take bribe and tell the anago guy say me wey I chook am. When they finish, they go release am wey the guy go come do me gidigidi and kill me sef"! With such fears being expressed, is it any wonder that volunteering of information of such occurrences is low? So are we surprised that it has become impossible for Ghanaians to purchase items online with their own legitimate credit and debit cards? It must trouble our security and financial institutions that as soon as domain verification shows that a transaction is emanating from Ghana, the first response is “we are sorry this transaction cannot be completed from your current location”! Much as one would have loved to give an ovation in support of the ovation well-meaning Nigerians give to Ghana where tourism is concerned, the extent to which our national psyche is being affected by these activities prevents one from joining in the praise-singing chorus. I would offer a free tip to our security agencies as to why there has been an unprecedented increase in demand for Ghanaian passports by people with northern sounding names: this quest for passports, contrary to popular belief is NOT (emphasis mine) to facilitate easy travel as many are inclined to believe. After all how many Ghanaian applications are not rejected by the equally confused entry clearance officers in the foreign missions here in Ghana on a daily basis? The real reason for such applications for Ghanaian passports is for the facilitation of monetary transactions, specifically to authenticate the nationality of recipients so as to withdraw very huge sums sent through banks, money transfer agencies and subsidiaries of companies owned by greedy Caucasians seeking to make a quick buck from people their own media has portrayed as wallowing in the doldrums of endemic poverty. When 419ers descend unto Accra, they have one main purpose: to withdraw funds sent from far-flung places across the globe. Given that Nigeria has been tacitly and in some cases openly blacklisted as a place to do certain types of business ostensibly due to the 419 scourge, perpetrators of confidence trickery have found a ‘safe haven’ in Ghana and insofar as easy money is wired to Accra for their nefarious purposes, what better way to enjoy the largesse than by having a Ghanaian passport, fake or genuine, to be produced for the collection of easy money?

If the above is distressing, then the re-engineering of our gateway concept into the latest transit point and exit for drug smuggling should raise our national alarm signals to “code red” levels. Whereas Ghanaians in the past dealt with relatively minor offences like attempts at concealing narijuana in luggage for onward delivery to western capitals, today thanks to new configurations of ‘friendships’ and the ‘hosting’ of eastern ‘invaders’ in some plush houses around Haatso, the Westlands, Tantra and East Airport, Ghanaians have become adept at ferrying thai white grade cocaine with relative ease and exceptional bravado. Some have perfected the art of wrapping such substances to avoid detection while others train to imbibe these substances in the alimentary canal for hours on end behind palatial and gilded gates in the aforementioned areas and beyond. I am quite certain that this is not the sort of gainful employment envisaged by the apostles of social democracy who now stride the corridors of political power in the Republic of Ghana.

Challenges

Notwithstanding the fact that more sinister examples abound regarding the negative aspects of the Nigerian ‘invasion’, despite well known institutional constraints and irrespective of the continuously changing modus operandi of the deviant elements among an otherwise pleasant group of legal aliens, it is incumbent upon all Ghanaians to make concerted efforts at putting a complete stop to this denigration and desecration of our image if not reducing such acts to the barest minimum. One such measure as far as the passport issue is concerned is to go the Malawian way whereby an applicant’s genealogy is traced to at least three generations before a passport is issued. One is well aware of the poor record keeping skills of Ghanaians but is it not possible to find some measures to suit our peculiar circumstances in the light of these image-denting developments if we put our collective energies to it? What stops our government through its security agencies from putting in real rewards for informants attractive enough to induce people to sing compared to what the criminal elements among these deviants offer when the noose begins to tighten around their 22 carat gold chain-laden necks? To what extent are we as a country, updating the skills needed to match and catch those whose adeptness with the information superhighway and technology allows them to use Ghanaian registered protocol addresses to unleash unsavory remarks about our beloved country? Perhaps, the new recruitments being envisaged and quietly implemented into the security services must take real cognizance of these realities to help check the Nigerian ‘re-invasion’ of Ghana even if their collaborators here would scream wolf claiming the age old dull excuse of xenophobia when all we are doing is saving the integrity of the Land of Our Death. Jehovah Rohi be our shepherd in these challenging times!

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=168530

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=169020

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