Members of Nigeria’s House of Representatives have called on the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama to initiate a retaliatory posture in Nigeria’s Foreign Policy against the backdrop of the recent demolition of Nigeria High Commission residential quarters in Accra Ghana by its nationals.
The House Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila said an apology tendered by the Ghanaian government and its officials without concrete effort to redress the action is not acceptable.
Gbajabiamila said rather than being diplomatic on the issue of demolition of Nigeria’s National Assets in Ghana or other countries, the nation should be confrontational adding that reciprocity is a legitimate instrument in Foreign Relations.
Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Buba and other Lawmakers tasked officials of the Foreign Affairs Ministry on the demolition of Nigeria High Commission’s property to ensure that the Nigerian government takes stern actions to redress this incident.
The lawmakers said that the demolition of the Nation’s property in Ghana by the Ghanaian nationals should not be taken lightly in the light of the fact that it was done by non-state actors.
While calling for a retaliation of the act by the Nigerian Government, they noted that the act is a breach of Diplomatic Protocols and expressed regrets that the property which depicts the nation’s Sovereignty was demolished for more than two hours and no arrest was made by the Ghanaian authorities.
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However, the Minister assured the Lawmakers that the Federal Government will not hesitate to employ the use of force by deployment of fighter jets and security personnel to the country if it becomes necessary.
He added that the government is still considering what steps are necessary to take in the present situation adding that the attack on one or two foreign missions out of over one hundred of such properties owned by the Nigerian Government across the world is not likely going to result into conflict in relations for both Nations.
(Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe)
