Ghana to rebuild demolished structure at Nigeria High Commissioner's residence

25 Juin 2020

Accra, Ghana, June 25 (Infosplusgabon) - The government of Ghana says it will ensure that the demolished structure on the compound of the Nigeria High Commissioner's residence in Accra is rebuilt as soon as possible.

This is according to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, as Ghana moves to prevent threats to relations caused by last Friday's night's demolition of the structure.

Following the incident, Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo on Tuesday apologised to his Nigerian counterpart, Muhammadu Buhari, for the demolition of the building which was under construction.

The local media on Wednesday quoted the Ghanaian foreign minister as saying the Nigeria High Commission had "duly made payment" for that parcel of land, hence "any encroachment on the property constituted a breach".

The paramount chief of the Osu Traditional Area in Accra, Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI, has claimed that the Nigerian High Commission trespassed on a plot of land belonging to the Osu Stool.

He said in a press release issued on Sunday that the said parcel of land and the entire layout of the area "is not state land" but is a part of the land of the traditional area.

The Ghana government set up a committee made up of representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Lands Commission, National Security Secretariat and the Ghana Police Service to investigate the demolition of the building.

The committee found that the Nigerian High Commission failed to provide relevant documents on ownership of the land which contributed to the unfortunate development.

“The Lands Commission advised the High Commission of Nigeria to provide relevant documents on ownership of the land but the former did not respond to the letter. Based on the silence of the High Commission of Nigeria, the Lands Commission went ahead to issue a Land title certificate covering the said parcel of land to a 3rd party.”

"The Government of Ghana will ensure that the demolished building is restored to its original state, as soon as possible," Ms. Botchwey said at a press conference in Accra.

She said although preliminary investigations showed that the High Commission did not have the land title certificate, it had receipts of payment on the land made by banker’s draft, payable to the Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission.

Ms. Botchwey said the Lands Commission will proceed to issue a Land Title Certificate to the Nigeria High Commission "to regularise its ownership of the property" and also take immediate steps to engage the Osu Stool and all stakeholders on the impasse.

"The Lands Commission will issue a letter to the Osu Traditional Council stating that in August 2000, a formal offer was made to the High Commission of Nigeria in respect of the parcel of land in question; the offer was accepted by the High Commission and payments made, accordingly constituting a contract," the committee said.

The committee also said in its report that the Nigeria High Commission will "take appropriate steps to obtain building permits for the construction".

Following the arrest of some persons connected to demolition, the Criminal Investigation Department will expedite action on investigations, given the delicate nature of the matter and its potential ramifications on Ghana–Nigeria relations.

Ms. Botchwey gave the assurance that Ghana will not relent on its primary obligation to protect and guarantee the safety of members of the Diplomatic Corps.

Meanwhile, Mrs Iva Denoo, Charge d’Affaires of the High Commission of Ghana to Nigeria, has visited the offices of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) as part of efforts to achieve rapprochement with the Nigerian government and publics.

The Chairperson and Chief Executive of NiDCOM, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, represented by Mr Sule Bassi, Secretary of the Commission, was told by the Ghanaian diplomat that “for the security of Nigerians living in Ghana, I can assure you that every Nigerian in Ghana is assured of  maximum security and no discrimination whatsoever".

“This issue of Nigerian Embassy in Ghana that was demolished, the President of Ghana has given the assurance that no harm will come to Nigerians and they have beefed up security at the embassy.”

Bassi said that the diplomatic tension that might be stirred by the incident was already being handled by both countries.

FIN/ INFOSPLUSGABON/OLK/GABON2020

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