Elsewhere in this issue of the Ghanaian Times, we have published a story under the headline, “ NUTAG calls for govt intervention in trade war with GUTA” in which the Nigerian Union of Traders Association, Ghana (NUTAG) are appealing to the government to intervene in the impasse between them and their Ghanaian counterparts.
At their press conference held in Accra yesterday, the union said the misunderstanding had adversely affected trading activities between the two countries.
The president of NUTAG, Mr Emelia Nnaji said “Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has not allowed us to have peace of mind in this country for sometime now and it is very sad because they keep insisting that we leave the market.
“We do not want a situation where we will start attacking Ghanaian businesses in Nigeria in retaliation just as it happened in South Africa recently. We are all brothers and so we are here for peace. Let us work in harmony as true Africans”, he said.
Mr Nnaji described the recent attack by GUTA as unlawful, saying “The forceful locking of shops of NUTAG members is a sign of intolerance and wickedness.”
The Ghanaian Times is concerned about the exchanges between the two unions and if steps are not taken to stop them, it might escalate further and no one knows where it will end.
These exchanges do not augur well for peaceful coexistence and we are appalled by the choice of words of the two parties.
We know that the government is making efforts to resolve the issues raised by GUTA against NUTAG but we are not sure how long it will take for the matter to be resolved.
But we are aware that the two governments are not happy about the situation due to its implication of socio-economic activities and are ready to come to a resolution no matter how long it takes.
The issues that have been raised by GUTA are legitimate but we are unhappy about the shop closing spree and we appeal to them to stop.
Once GUTA has asked the government to intervene, we expect that they step back for the government to use its own approach to solve the problem amicably.
If they do not step back, it would be difficult to find a lasting solution.
We therefore call on the Ghanaian government to step up efforts to bring peace.
We must not allow this issue to reach extreme levels and strain the cordial relations that has existed between the two countries.
