Should Ghana Apologize And Pay Reparation To Nigeria?

Black Africans have gone through unimaginable 'persecutions' from generation to generation since time immemorial, but the worst of some of these heinous crimes of 'man inhumanity to man' against us was the Arabs and Europeans Slave Trade, of the last 500 years, (in which more than ten millions Africans either lost their lives and identities). When I say black Africans, it includes our brothers and sisters in Diaspora, either in Caribbean, American and Latin America. After all, Peter Touch, one of Jamaica's reggae artistes of the blessed memory, sang in one of his songs thus: 'Don't think of where you come from, as long as you are a black man or woman, you're an African.' However, it always pains me when after suffering all these persecutions at the hands of our detractors for generations, we Africans, out of ignorance turned against each others and inflicts unnecessary pains against ourselves. Rwandans genocide in the 1994 is still fresh in our memories, couple with unnecessary incessant wars all over Africa, that is costing millions of lives every year. The most painful aspect of all these destructive actions black Africans are inflicting on each others was that; the Jewish, (another race who was victims of persecutions about seventy years ago), have come together and speaks with one voice to fight for their rights amongst the committee of nations, but black Africans are yet to find a common ground to speak in one voice and work together for our total emancipation and progress.

Anyway the purpose of this write up is about the issue of '(black on black DISCRIMINATION)' which originated from Ghana, in the 60s during the regime of Abbrefa Kofi Busia's ACO order, against their fellow Africans, {mostly Nigerians}. In 1969, Ghana enacted the Aliens Compliance Order, in which hundreds of thousands of immigrants, {mostly Nigerians}, were FORCEFULLY expelled from the country. That was the beginning of "(black on black discrimination in the history of mama Africa)" where people mingles inhibited and inter married for thousands of years before Busia put asunder into the good relations amongst Africans, which was a VERY BAD PRECEDENT, for Africans to see each others "ALIENS" in Africa. We were told that the purpose of Busia's ACO order, was to enable Ghanaians takes control of their 'economy' from the hands of their fellow Africans, mostly Nigerians. However, if the ACO order was for economic purpose, how come the other foreigners, mainly non-Africans like Lebanese, Indians, Arabs, Obronis etc; were left untouched by Busia ACO order?

A friend of mine here in UK from the Southwest of Nigeria told me a harrowing story of their family friends who were the victims of the ACO order. According to him, the family was living in Ghana for hundred of years, but was forcefully deported back to Nigeria, and their family properties confiscated without compensation till date. You see, before the advent of Busia ACO order, it has never been recorded in African history the sort of "DISCRIMINATION" experienced by black Africans anywhere in Africa at the hands of their Ghanaian hosts. African have been living together and doing businesses together like brothers and sisters for time immemorial before Europeans and Arabs came to impose their 'wicked' ways of life on us.

The Arabs imposed their hegemony on us through their 'divide and rule Islamic religion' whereby some of our fellow Africans sees you as an enemy if you do not belongs to their Arabian ways of life, (which is Islam), and they are ready to kill you just for that. (For example, look at what is happening in Northern Nigeria today, where fellow Africans are slaughtering each others like animals all in the name of religion). As if that wasn't bad enough, the European came with their 'exploitative divide and rule tactics' through Christianity in one hand and guns at the other. They continued to exploit us for hundreds of years until we thought we've gain independence, but unfortunately, we are yet to gain 'ECONOMIC independent' from both Arabs and Europeans, (who are still indirectly in control of our natural and human resources). These are some of the bane of Africa under development.

Now coming back to the issue of Busia ACO order, which was one of the terrible things to happen to Africans where Ghanaians sees their fellow Africans as "ALIENS" in mama Africa, and deemed it fit to "DISCRIMINATE" against them and uproots them from the country they have been living for thousands of years, (before Europeans introduced artificial borders to divide us), and we sees each others as "STRANGERS" on the soil of mama Africa. Many of them were violently deported from Ghana, and their properties confiscated by Busia regime and no compensation paid to the victims of that dastardly acts. Although, the Shagari government's Ghana Must Go of 1984 was a sort of retaliation to Basia ACO order, (which I'm not sure off), but Ghanaians loses during the period cannot be compared to that of the 'brutal Basia's expulsion' where people lost their history, heritage and properties in the 60's pogrom in Ghana.

My question is this, should Ghana pay reparation for an injustice done to Nigerians victims of pogrom of Abbrefa Busia ACO order and apologise to Nigeria? Personally, I think Ghanaian government should apologise to Nigeria for treating her citizens worst than animal during Busia ACO order and pay very heavy compensations to the descendants and families of the victims of that brutal Busia's policies of the 60s against his fellow Africans in Ghana.

After all, what is good for goose is also good for gander.

If Germany could pay restitution for the wrong they did to the Jewish victims of Hitler's holocaust, I do not see any reason why Ghanaians should not pay restitution for their "WICKED ACO DISCRIMINATIVE" actions against their fellow Africans at the hands of Abbrefa Kofi Busia's ACO order. Only time will tell.

Tony Wisdom

A true pan-Africanist

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