interview
Alhaji Abdulahi Abukari, had been in love with Nigeria years before he was posted to the country; in this chat with Senior Correspondent, Hazeez Balogun, he clears the air on problems Nigerians face while doing business in Ghana and his dreams for Africa
Ebola is all over West Africa at the moment, but Ghana is yet to get any case, what precautions have your country put in place to keep the virus at bay?
You are right in your assertion that Ghana remains an Ebola free country. That is a blessing for us. What I will say is that our authorities in Ghana, especially at the airports and other ports of entry, have been up and doing and very professional with their work. They work tirelessly screening people coming into the country. Some weeks ago, Ghana hosted the committee of chief of staffs in Accra and some of the issues discussed were the Ebola Disease Virus and one of the issues discussed is how the military can assist in curbing the spread of the disease. After the summit, the Ghana Armed Forces came out with directives which it sent out to various Ghana missions abroad. One of the directives is that any students from neighbouring countries, especially those from Ebola countries, schooling in Ghana should be screened properly before they are allowed into the country. They are screened at the point of entry and when they get into the country, our health officials will screen them a second time.
There is always this discussion that Nigerians are barred from setting up businesses in Ghana or are given difficult conditions to meet before they are allowed to set up, what is the true story?
I do not agree with you that Nigerians are not allowed to set up business in Ghana. There are numerous Nigerians doing business in Ghana, hoards of them. All what the Ghana Investment Promotion does is that they reserve some spaces for Ghanaians only. Which are these areas that are reserved? Markets, table top and petty traders. But trading in shops and other large commercial areas are open to traders from any other countries.
But even big businesses, there are some restrictions, and Ghanaians must be involved in your business before you set it up.
Yes of course; if you are to go into big time business, you have to partner Ghanaians. You have to make sure that you employ a certain number of Ghanaians as your staff. All these measures are just to protect our compatriots and also keep our people employed. But in terms of restrictions, there are no restrictions to anybody planning to set up business in Ghana.
In recent years, tourism has become very big in Ghana, what do you think is responsible for the sharp rise?
There has been a drive by the government to develop the tourism sector in the country. They have set up numerous bodies to make this possible. First is the Ministry of Tourism, then there is Ghana Tourism Board and the Tour Operators Organisation of Ghana. These bodies work in synchronisation to create a thriving tourism atmosphere in the country. Also, historically, Ghana has a lot to offer in terms of sites and locations. During the time of slave trade, the slave raiders would go into the hinterland to get slaves and then bring them out to forts by the sea for to sell to the white men. Ghana alone has 33 of these forts and castles. Today, these places are a good source of tourist attraction. You will see people coming in from all over the world especially Blacks from all over the world who are trying to trace their roots. Today, the Elmina Castle and the Cape Coast Castle are one of the most visited by tourists from all over the world.
A lot of Nigerians go on tour in Ghana yet very few Ghanaians come to Nigeria, don't you think there should be a kind of partnership between the two countries to promote tourism both ways and not just one sided?
I believe that there should be such partnership. We have realised that in the sub-region, local tourism is not really encouraged. We tend to attract people from abroad to come into the country and even those who want to really go on tour would prefer to go abroad when there are numerous beautiful places to visit here. That money they spend abroad can be spent here and be used to further develop our own attractions. I believe that Ghana and Nigeria can partner in the development of tourism.
Ghanaian movie industry is the second in Africa after Nigeria, but there was a time Nigerian films were banned in Ghana, is this still in force, and why was that decision taken in the first place?
As far as I know, in terms of movies, the Ghanaian market is being flooded by Nigerian movies. Almost every day on our streets, you will see Nigerian movies for sale. So there is no such ban of Nigerian movie. In fact, what we have noticed is that there are a lot of collaborations between Nigerian and Ghana movie makers. You will see Ghanaian movies featuring Nigerian actors and on the other hand you will see Ghanaian actors featuring in Nigerian movies. I believe such partnership is very healthy.
You had a programme called Edu-fair recently, what was it all about?
It was aimed at showing Nigerians the educational opportunities, especially the tertiary education, that abounds in Ghana. We had representatives from various tertiary schools in Ghana at the fair, enlightening people on the courses they offer and how they can get registered to their various schools. Many people are aware of University of Ghana and our other major universities; they do not know that Ghana has many other very good schools as well. The turn-out was encouraging and many of those in attendance got to know more about schools in Ghana and how to access them.
Earlier this year, you made a statement that Ghana will be assisting Nigeria in the fight against terrorism. The threat of Boko Haram has increased, how has Ghana supported Nigeria?
Boko Haram is a serious menace not only to Nigeria but to the West African region. They are a real threat and anyone could be a victim of their attacks, that is why as a region we need to work together to fight the scourge. You know that Ghana is the ECOWAS chair, and earlier in the year, we hosted an ECOWAS summit. The president of Ghana at the summit called on all leaders to put all hands on deck in fighting the terror. Also, we are all urged as citizens of the region to be more pro-active in exposing those behind the masks. It is not a fight for our governments alone, we as individuals also have our parts to play.
How has your experience in Nigeria been?
I am at the twilight of my stay here. I have been here for over three years and by early next year, I would have concluded my mission here. First, I thank God for making it possible for me to work in Nigeria. It has been a wonderful experience working in Nigeria. There are wonderful people here and I have met wonderful friends. Nigeria has always been special to me and I was happy when I got the opportunity to serve my country here.
Tell us about the entry and exit policy between Nigeria and Ghana in terms of immigration policies
If you are from any ECOWAS country including Nigeria, you don't need a visa to come into Ghana, all you need is a passport but your stay is limited to three months. As far as Ghana and Nigeria goes, I know there are talks going on to abolish even the passport regime. If you are from either country, you do not need to carry your passport around. For now, that talk is on-going.
Before you were posted to Nigeria, where were you serving?
I was at the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where I was consul general for four years. From there I was reposted to base at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ghana. It was until 2011, when I was posted to Nigeria.
Before you were posted here, have you been in Nigeria?
No. There was a time my flight was connected through Nigeria and I was at the Muritala Muhammed International Airport for a while. But I cannot regard that as a visit to Nigeria.
What were your thoughts about Nigeria before coming here?
Let me tell you something, before I was posted to Nigeria, I was given three options - France, Belgium or Nigeria and I chose Nigeria over the two. My family could not understand why I chose Nigeria over France and Belgium. I have always loved Nigeria despite the negative things being said about the country. Of all the negative things being said about Nigeria, after my three and a half years here, I am yet to see any of those things.
In the early 1980s, I was one of those who wanted to come to Nigeria for the greener pastures. I nearly joined the bandwagon of Ghanaians coming here but I later changed my mind. I had always loved the country.
Was foreign mission work something you had always wanted as a child?
After finishing school, I went for my master's programme to make myself more marketable. After that, I started working in the civil service. I was not happy where I was working and I decided to go for an interview for another job. While waiting for the interview, I saw an advert in the newspaper looking for someone who has worked in the civil service for 10 years and has a master's degree. I sent in my application and went back to my job in the North. Some weeks later, I was told that I was selected for the position and I was employed after I passed the interview. So I will say that it is providence that got me to where I am.
Alhaji is one of your titles, did you become Alhaji before or after you served in Saudi Arabia?
I took the opportunity while I was in Saudi Arabia to take part in the Hajj.
Where do you dream to serve your country after Nigeria?
I would like to come back to Nigeria if I am allowed. I would also like to serve in the United States of America. I would like to know more first-hand how the United Nations system works. Ghana has a mission in New York and that will be a good place to learn the system.
Many people who work in foreign missions later in their life go out to contest for elective positions do you see yourself becoming a politician?
I don't see myself in politics for now because I am a civil servant and civil servants are meant to hands off politics. But at the right time, I will decide if that should be the next chapter of my life. For now, I will concentrate on my work.
In Africa today, countries have fenced each other out. It is more difficult to travel around Africa than to travel to Europe. Don't you think it is time African leaders open up their boarders to their neighbours?
That should be the ideal situation and that is the aspiration of the African Union. We should be a union of people and not a union of states. We should be able to travel from Nigeria to Cameroun and from Cameroun to Chad without any hindrances, but at the moment, that is not the case. We still have colonial barriers impeding our movements which should not be so. We also have economic blocs that make things difficult. For example, recently, I was trying to go to Cameroun, who is a neighbour to Nigeria. I went by road and I faced a hell of trouble crossing the border. I had to go through immigrations and many other procedures. Eventually I was allowed through but I could not take along my official car. They were telling us that CEEAC is different from ECOWAS, so we will be treated differently from people from CEEAC countries.
If we are talking about Africa being one people with one goal and aspiration for development and also raising our people out of poverty, these are issues we should look into. We cannot create artificial barriers with our neighbours and seriously expect economic growth. With such barriers we cannot trade and if we cannot trade, how then can we create job opportunities and eradicate poverty? We cannot. I would advise that the policy makers try and experience what I did. They should try and go through the borders and not fly and then they will understand.
Africa is far behind in world economy, what do you think is the way out?
I believe our problem is leadership. There is a serious gap between the people in power and the governed. We need people who have the interest of the common man at heart. If we have leaders who truly understand the suffering of the masses, then they will make policies that will alleviate the suffering.
You have been in Nigeria for over three years, what is your favouirite Nigerian dish?
Oh, I love Eba and Egusi soup.