At last, Nigerians residing in Ghana have come under one umbrella body christened- All Nigerian Community (ANC) in Ghana.
This body comprises Nigerians from all ethnic extractions residing in the country.
While inaugurating the group, the Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Ambassador Olufemi Michael Abikoye, charged them to remain united and protect the interest of all Nigerians resident in Ghana.
He admonished both the Executive Committee and the larger community to see themselves as Nigerians first before any other consideration.
According to the High Commissioner: “I want you to be united and shun disunity, put all your differences behind you and open a new chapter in the annals of the community even for generations yet un-born”
He reminded them that it is in the interest of all Nigerians in Ghana to stand as one, “especially in Ghana’s environment that has been witnessing some form of resentment against members of the community.”
In his acceptance speech, the newly inaugurated Chairman of ANC, Hon. Salihu Alhaiji Mohammed, applauded the High Commission for the tenacity in bringing about what he described as “ the remarkable day” for the Nigerian Community in Ghana to come back as one umbrella body.
He solicited for the cooperation, patience and contributions of all and sundry to make the objectives of their new chapter a reality.
The representative of the Chairman of the Nigeria Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, witnessed the inauguration ceremony.
It would be recalled that when the High Commissioner resumed office in Ghana in 2017, the ANC had been in deep crisis and had no executive team to pilot the affairs of Nigerians resident in Ghana.
However, after painstaking negotiation and consultation, the High Commission was able to conduct successful elections that brought together individuals drawn from the six geo-political zones of the country to ensure a balanced representation in the leadership.
In order to ensure fairness in the distribution of leadership positions, the new President was elected from the Arewa community, considering that the previous president was from the South-South community, while the three Vice presidents were elected from the Igbo, Yoruba and South-South communities.
They are to serve for a two-year period after which new elections will be conducted and the next executives will be elected on regional rotations.
