President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has presented CFA450,000 to Ghanaian drivers who are stranded at Seme-Krakue, a town on the Nigeria-Benin border.

The money is to help the drivers defray expenses they have incurred as a result of the border closure.

The drivers have not been able to cross the border since Nigeria shut its border with Benin on August 21, this year.

The situation has led to hundreds of vehicles, mostly articulated trucks, being locked at both ends of the border.

The money was delivered on behalf of the President by a Deputy Minister of Trade and industry, Mr Carlos Ahenkorah, during a meeting with Ghanaian drivers at the border last Thursday. Also in attendance at the meeting was a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mr Charles Owiredu.

From the border, the two deputy ministers proceeded to Abuja to meet with Nigerian authorities to finalise arrangements for the opening of a safe corridor on the border for Ghanaian traders to transport their goods to and from Nigeria.

Collating information

The meeting with the drivers was held to allow the deputy ministers and members of their delegations, including officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA ) and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, to get information from the stranded drivers, companies they work for and items in their trucks.

Mr Owiredu said the closure of the border was unfortunate but commended the drivers for their fortitude in spite of the challenge.

He told them that the data collected from both drivers and traders would be forwarded to the Nigerian authorities for the necessary action to be taken.

He assured them that the government was working to have the problem resolved as quickly as possible.

Safe passage

For his part, Mr Ahenkorah said the government was doing all it could to ensure that the safe corridor promised by the Nigerian authorities for drivers and traders from Ghana would materialise.

He said the closure of the border was affecting Ghana's projections on foreign exchange returns from non-traditional exports.

Mr Ahenkorah was, however, confident that an amicable solution would be found at the end of the meetings in Abuja.

The drivers recounted their difficulties but were hopeful that a solution would be found quickly to the problem.

Background

The trip by the deputy ministers is a follow up on an earlier one made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, and the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Alan Kyerematen, to Abuja to find a solution to the problem.

While in Abuja, the Nigerian authorities explained to the two ministers that the border was closed to prevent the entry of contraband goods from Benin, including rice, and that Ghana was not the target.

They expressed regret at the impact that the border closure was having on Ghanaian businesses and promised to create a safe corridor for Ghanaian traders to send their goods to Nigeria.

The Nigerian authorities requested though that Ghana should furnish it with details of the companies, trucks and nature of goods that were being brought to their market.

Source:

https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/president-presents-cash-to-stranded-ghanaian-drivers-on-benin-nigeria-border.html

Good

This is a ploy to emotionally blackmail Buhari. Only if he knew the He-Goat in power doesn't succumb to cheap emotional blackmails.

when buhari holds you for blockus, you must piss blood, lets see who would blink first in this blinking contest

if there is no rice i will drink pap, eat amala, akpu or cook dangote pasta and that igbo man's delicoius noddles ...

*since the border closure we havent heard of fulani attack and kidnaping had gone down, are our west african brothers telling us they are blind to see armed herdsmen entering our territory from thier side?

* are there no ships in ghana that can load goods to apapa or warri ports and pay needed custom duty?

*We share our paltry manageable electricity to niger, togo and benin, yet they dont pay and still mock us for not having 24/7 electricity

*Every conflict in west africa, from liberia to seria loane we send our troops, waste our gallant soldiers blood , sweat and tears, only for same west africa to let boko haram hide and run us over

*We gave mandella our passport and all his comrades (almost all thier top current politician and freedom fighters have nigerian passport) so that they can travel and confront the western power, we even gave them money from our own savings.. what did they pay us back with? death and painful lynching while they laugh on, video the victims and call us names

*Our Defence College Kaduna and Staff College Jos freely trained some of thier best military and political leaders, but then only to alert us of dangers coming into our territory they fvcking turn blind

If Nigeria can survive US sanction under Abacha's Regime and many people cooked with sawdust, firewood when kerosine wasnt coming in and gas was expensive, if we ate millets and maize like rice and enjoyed it with beans, why the fvck do this people think we can't close our border as we deem fit


..

Buhari should learn

[quote author=Phyqee10 post=83657607]Good[/quoteftc second time in a week]

Wetin concern Buhari??

God help us all

Ordinary Border closure and the entire West Africa sub region is convulsing.

Nigeria is such a great country if we got a great leader...

Naija, the Big brother of Africa.....

Why not call the drivers to take the goods back home to Ghana?
We say we no want, you left your trucks at our border....

Na by force?
Let Ghanaians consume them na.

They are taking it too seriously as if we share the same border.

I think they are the one benefiting mostly in this smuggling of a business

A president that cares...unlike the cow herder we have here, who is only swift in response, when cows are rustled

THIS IS BIG BROTHER !! Hammed Ali close that border, A few weeks later Ghana started crying more than Benin Republic and Niger.



Thats to show you how Ghana and all our neighbors have been feeding of Nigeria for years.

Nigerian Government will use our billions of dollars to subsidize goods coming from asia and europe, and Ghanaians will sneak into Nigeria like thieves to buy goods from Alaba, Idumota, Trade fair, Computer village and Ladipo markets in a much cheaper rates than going to Asia or Europe to buy them with their own hard currency. I don't want to talk about petrol cos we all know what goes on there with our subsidized fuel ending up in so-called Ecowas countries.


Even tho am not a Buhari fan, for years now Ghanaians have been lying to us that they don't do trading in Nigeria. but the day we will start Ghana Must Go part 2, the whole world will be shocked how much Ghanaians are leaving in Nigeria.


It's going to start with Oga Kwame that operates a restaurant in my street. he will be shocked the day we will descend on him like hyenas

That's a government that has her people at heart. What has the Nigerian government done to help Nigerians whose shops are locked up in Ghana?


Absolutely nothing!!

Papa God help this country - in African China voice

A mentally balanced individual should know that the current temporary boarder closure is the right thing to do considering the security and economic implications smuggling has cost Nigeria.
The FG should implement a seamless, fast and transparent clearing process in the ports.
ECOWAS economic charter has been seriously abused.

Better president

Nice move

Beremx:
That's a government that has her people at heart. What has the Nigerian government done to help Nigerians whose shops are locked up in Ghana?


Absolutely nothing!!

so far sey no be northerners e affect e no concern the government, na northern government we dey in Nigeria. Our president is helping Saudi Arabia build their oil

iammo:




when buhari holds you for blockus, you must piss blood, lets see who would blink first in this blinking contest



..

The PDP criminals are currently pissing blood. �

Mad o


See my siggy

And someone was claiming the border closure is not affecting Ghana

no they have passed that stage, they've lost blood already, i think they are dying

Chukwurah003:


The PDP criminals are currently pissing blood. �

[quote author=iammo post=83657611]when buhari holds you for blockus, you must piss blood[now everyone will do who be boss.. After all the cheatbeating Ghana is now doing the right thing, if u have any goods to be transported to Nigeria, u have to declare it

iammo:
when buhari holds you for blockus, you must piss blood

we shouldn't just be praising buhari for this,the federal government has made it point, it's time to listen to the genuine complains of our nieghbouring countries, let's not decieve ourselves that we don't need them,if n when they choose to gang up against us the results will not be too pleasant.

Conceptman:
so far sey no be northerners e affect e no concern the government, na northern government we dey in Nigeria. Our president is helping Saudi Arabia build their oil

My brother this matter tire me