TheNewsGuru

Tag: Ghana

  • Ghana pledges to reconstruct Nigeria’s demolished High Commission building

    The Ghanaian government on Thursday reiterated its commitment to restoring to its original state, the residential building of the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana that was demolished a few days ago following an attack.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that armed men had attacked the mission on Friday night and demolished the official residence of the High Commission of Nigeria, which was under construction.

    Mrs Shirley Ayokor Botchewey, Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration said this while briefing journalists in Ghana on the outcome of the investigation into the attack.

    She said, “The Land Commission will formerly inform the Osu Traditional Council that in August, 2000, offer was made to High Commission of Nigeria, irrespective of the title of land in question.

    “The offer was accepted by the High Commission and payment was made accordingly that constituted a contract.

    “The Land Commission will proceed to issue a Land Certificate to the High Commission of Nigeria, to regularise it’s ownership of the property in question.

    “Ghana will take immediate steps to engage the Osu stool and all stakeholders on the impasse.
    “Ghana will ensure that the demolished building is restored to its original state as soon as possible.

    “The High Commission of Nigeria will take appropriate steps to obtain building permit for the construction.”

    She added that a committee consisting of officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ghana Police Service, National Security, and the Lands Commission had been constituted to investigate the unlawful demolition of the building.

    According to her, based on preliminary investigation, Nigeria paid for the land 20 years ago, even though the High Commission could not produce the lease, land title certificate and building permit of the land.

    She, however, gave an assurance that the government of Ghana would actively engage the Nigeria government at the highest level, to address the impasse and help calm tensions in both countries.

    She said that arrests had been arrested in relation to the demolition and that the case had been prosecuted in court for conspiracy to crime and cause of unlawful damages.

  • Why we won’t retaliate on Ghana’s demolition of Nigeria’s High Commission building – Presidency

    The Presidency has said Nigeria would not pursue a retaliatory line of action against Ghana over the demolition of the Nigerian High Commission building in Accra, last weekend.

    This position was disclosed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, at the State House on Wednesday.

    He said this position was as a result of the apology tendered by the Ghanaian President, Nana Akufo-Addo, over the incident.

    “The President of Ghana has called and regretted the action and apologised to the President of Nigeria. I think he has shown leadership in the matter and what should Nigeria do; these are two leading countries in West Africa.

    “Nigeria will not engage in a street fight with Ghana. This cannot happen. So, the two leaders, especially President Muhammadu Buhari, who is much respected in Africa, they all call him ‘Baba’ (Father), so he is bound to show restraint.

    The Presidential Spokesperson said diplomacy will be used in resolving the matter.

    “Matters such as this when they arise, it is always better when they arise, they should be resolved diplomatically. No, there shouldn’t be a fight between Nigeria and Ghana, this will not happen,” Shehu stressed.

  • Reps quizzes Onyema over Nigerian High Commission’s demolition in Ghana

    Reps quizzes Onyema over Nigerian High Commission’s demolition in Ghana

    The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, is currently appearing before the House of Representatives where he is being grilled over demolition of parts of Nigerian High Commission in Ghana.

    The House Committee on Foreign Affairs is demanding explanations on the issues surrounding the demolition before taking necessary legislative actions.

    The Federal Government had earlier summoned the Chargè d’ Affaires of the High Commission of Ghana to Nigeria, Ms Iva Denoo, on the same matter.

    Onyeama, who announced the summons, had noted that Nigeria had asked the envoy to give an “urgent explanation” on the recent attacks on apartments in the country’s High Commission in Accra.

    Recall that TheNewsGuru (TNG) had earlier reported that some unidentified armed men attacked the building in Accra, the capital city on Friday, demolishing some apartments under construction.

    The building was being constructed to house staff and visiting diplomats to the High Commission.

    Both the Nigerian and Ghanaian governments had condemned the attack.

    In its reaction, the Ghanaian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, in a statement, said unidentified individuals allegedly breached the premises of the Nigerian High Commission and demolished the property under construction at about 10:30pm.

    “The Ministry views with concern this development which is a breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

  • JUST IN: FG summons Ghana envoy over demolished Nigerian High Commission

    JUST IN: FG summons Ghana envoy over demolished Nigerian High Commission

    The Federal Government has summoned the Chargè d’ Affaires of the High Commission of Ghana to Nigeria, Ms Iva Denoo, over the demolition of parts of the Nigerian embassy in Ghana.

    The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, made this known on Monday.

    The minister noted that Nigeria had asked the envoy to give an “urgent explanation” on the recent attacks on apartments in the country’s High Commission in Accra.

    He tweeted, “Summoned the Chargè d’ Affaires of the High Commission of #Ghana to Nigeria, Ms Iva Denoo to demand urgent explanation on the recent attacks on a residential building in our diplomatic premises and reinforcement of security around diplomatic premises and staff.”

    TheNewsGuru(TNG) had earlier reported that some unidentified armed men attacked the building in Accra, the capital city on Friday, demolishing some apartments under construction.

    The building was being constructed to house staff and visiting diplomats to the High Commission.

    Both the Nigerian and Ghanaian governments had condemned the attack.

    In its reaction, the Ghanaian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration in a statement said unidentified individuals allegedly breached the premises of the Nigerian High Commission and demolished the property under construction at about 10.30 p.m.

    “The Ministry views with concern this development which is a breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

    “Investigations are ongoing to unravel the facts of the matter and bring the perpetrators to book.

    “Meanwhile, the Ghanaian government has beefed-up security at the said facility and the situation is under control.

    “Whilst expressing regrets over the incident the Ministry wishes to reassure the Diplomatic community in Ghana and the Nigerian High Commission in particular that Ghana remains a law-abiding country.

    “Ghana upholds the principle of the rule of law, where due process is followed at all times.

    “The government will, therefore, not relent on its primary obligation to guarantee the safety of members of Diplomatic Corps in Ghana,” the statement said.

  • Ghana apologises to Nigeria over demolished High Commission buildings [See letter]

    Ghana apologises to Nigeria over demolished High Commission buildings [See letter]

    Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has apologised to the Nigerian government after the building housing high commission staff was demolished on Friday night.

    In a press statement, the ministry said it viewed with concern the development, which is a breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

    It expressed regrets over the demolition.

    “While expressing regrets over the incident, the Ministry wishes to reassure the diplomatic community in Ghana
    and the Nigerian High Commission in particular that Ghana remains a law abiding country that upholds the principle of the rule of law”.

    Officials will be visiting the Nigerian High Commission tomorrow to access the damage done to the property, one report said.

    The plot of land in dispute houses the residence of the Nigerian High commissioners residence and four other buildings. It was allocated to the Nigerian government in the sixties.


    A portion of the land had remained undeveloped until eight years ago when building work began.

    A Ghanaian businessman claims legitimate ownership of the land.

    Nigeria and the Ghanaian governments resolved the ownership issue, when Nigeria paid fifty million Ghanaian cedis for the land.

    Building works commenced on a portion of the land after all approvals were sought and obtained from regulatory authorities.

    Nigeria’s foreign minister Geoffrey Onyeama strongly condemned the demolition earlier today.

    “We strongly condemn two outrageous criminal attacks in Accra, #Ghana, on a residential building in our diplomatic premises by unknown persons in which a bulldozer was used to demolish the building”, Onyeama tweeted.

    “We are engaging the Ghanaian Government and demand urgent action to find the perpetrators and provide adequate protection for Nigerians and their property in Ghana”, he wrote.

  • FG fumes, demands urgent action from Ghana over attack at high commission

    FG fumes, demands urgent action from Ghana over attack at high commission

    The Nigerian government has said it will engage with the Ghanaian government over the recent attacks on her diplomatic buildings in Accra, Ghana.

    According to the Nigerian Minister for foreign affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, two criminal attacks were made on the residential building within Nigeria’s diplomatic premises.

    In one of the attacks, a bulldozer was used by unknown persons to demolish the building within the premises.

    In an early Sunday tweet on his official handle, Geoffrey Onyeama condemned both attacks and stated that efforts are in top gear to find the perpetrators.

    “We strongly condemn two outrageous criminal attacks in Accra, Ghana, on a residential building in our diplomatic premises by unknown persons in which a bulldozer was used to demolish the building.

    “We are engaging the Ghanaian Government and demand urgent action to find the perpetrators and provide adequate protection for Nigerians and their property in Ghana,” the minister said in the tweet.

    There have also been recent reports about attacks on Nigerians in the diaspora, including a media report in May where a Ghanaian landlord shot his Nigerian tenant dead, for refusing to vacate the building.

    All these, according to Onyeama, form the basis for the engagement with the Ghanaian government.

  • FG reacts to attack on Nigerian mission in Ghana

    FG reacts to attack on Nigerian mission in Ghana

    The Federal Government has condemned the two attacks on its residential buildings in Accra, describing them as criminal and outrageous, demanding urgent action from the Ghanaian authorities.

    Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama made this known via his verified twitter handle @GeoffreyOnyeama on Sunday.

    He said that the federal government was already engaging with the Ghanaian authorities to urgently bring the perpetrators to book and protect the lives of Nigerians in Ghana.

    It was gathered that the attack on Nigerian High Commission’s quarters in Accra happened in the early hours of June 20.

    “We strongly condemn two outrageous criminal attacks in Accra, #Ghana, on a residential building in our diplomatic premises by unknown persons in which a bulldozer was used to demolish the building.

    “We are engaging with the Ghanaian government and we demand urgent action to find the perpetuators and provide adequate protection for Nigerians and their properties in Ghana,” he twitted.

    For sometimes, Nigerians and their property have been severely attacked by the Ghanaians.

    The federal government has, however, been engaging with the Ghanaian authorities to put an end to the attacks.

  • Nigerian Embassy staff quarters In Ghana Demolished

    Nigerian Embassy staff quarters In Ghana Demolished

    Some portion of the staff quarters of the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana has been demolished.

    The demolition exercise was said to have been carried out late Friday, although the Nigerian government has yet to react to the incident.

    A source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that a businessman had claimed that the Nigerian High Commission’s staff quarters was being built on his land.

    The man reportedly showed up last week with some pieces of evidence to support his claim and began to knock down the fence surrounding the building.

    According to the source, the action of the man was not opposed while the Nigerian High Commission petitioned the Ghanaian Government about it, but there was no response.

    Days later, he was said to have returned to the premises of the staff quarters and this time, with a bulldozer and began to pull down the building.

    In a bid to stop the demolition, officials contacted the police who reportedly showed up at the site when the building was almost pulled down.

    While the police allegedly allowed the man to leave the scene without reprimand or questioning, the Ghanaian authorities have yet to respond to the Nigerian High Commission about what happened.

  • 60 oil rig workers test positive for coronavirus

    At least 60 oil rig workers on the Jubilee oil production field offshore Ghana have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

    International oil firm Tullow which operates the field revealed this in a statement.

    It said two of the cases were reported by the oil firm on Tuesday, while contact tracing led to one additional case on the production vessel FPSO Kwame Nkrumah, where 50 other workers tested negative.

    “Also, as part of contact tracing, GHS (Ghana Health Service) tested personnel on board contractor support vessel CSV Lancelot and has confirmed that 57 of the 200 personnel tested positive for COVID-19.

    “All affected people are being brought onshore for isolation and case management,” the statement said.

    The company said it is enforcing enhanced social distancing on both vessels, with a permanent restriction of movement between the two vessels to minimize any potential for the spread of the virus.

    The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ghana stood at 7,768 as of Saturday morning,
    with 152 new infections reported overnight.

    The Ghana Health Service data captured 119 new recoveries, increasing the number of recovered COVID-19 cases to 2,540.

    The number of deaths has increased to 35, with one more death recorded among confirmed cases under treatment.

    All the measures introduced by the Ghanaian government to combat the pandemic since March are scheduled to come to an end on Sunday.

  • Ghana overtakes Nigeria, becomes worst-hit country by Covid-19 in West Africa

    Ghana overtakes Nigeria, becomes worst-hit country by Covid-19 in West Africa

    Ghana recorded 251 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, taking the national total to 4,263.

    This makes the country the worst hit in the West African region ahead of Nigeria, which has 4,151 cases

    On Friday, Ghana had announced 921 confirmed cases, its highest daily figure till date.

    According to Ghana Health Service (GHS), the huge number recorded on Friday came mainly from the outbreak in an industrial facility.

    Out of the 1,300 workers tested there, 533 came out positive.

    At the moment, the country has 22 deaths and 378 recoveries.

    COVID-19 cases in the country have increased by over 3,000 since 20 April.

    This was when the government eased the lockdown in hardest hit regions.