The President of Ghana Zabrama Association who doubles as the Greater Accra Zabrama Chief, Alhaji Pro-Umar Abubakar Tanko, on Wednesday 16th January 2019 met a Nigerien delegation of Chiefs at the Central Hotel in Accra.
The essence of the meeting was to inform Nigeriens in Ghana about an upcoming National event to be held in Niger this year.
The one-and-a-half hour meeting with the Delegation of Chiefs centered on the role that Nigeriens in the Diaspora could play to ensure a very successful and historic event as well as the way forward in bringing together Nigeriens in the Diaspora under one umbrella.
In an interview with Alhaji Pro-Umar Tanko, revealed that the Delegation of Chiefs was sent to them by the Niger Government has allocated lands for Nigerien entrepreneurs in the Diaspora to come home and invest and earn some money while in Ghana.
The Chiefs, according to him, have been to other African Countries such as Togo and Benin and would continue to La Côte d’Ivoire before proceeding back home.
He informed the delegation of complaints by the Nigeriens in the diaspora, over difficulties they go through while crossing the borders between Ghana and Niger.
To that end, he called on the delegation to inform the President of Niger to consider the issue his Togolese and Benenois counterparts in easing the difficulties at the border points.
One other problem was the seizure of personal effects including little gifts they carried with them. He also suggested that a one-time traveling identification card could be introduced for the Nigeriens in the Diaspora to make movements easier for them.
He added that most of their people are willing to invest in Niger but due to difficulties they go through prevent them from doing so and pray that the President should consider with the said identification card.
Alhaji Pro-Umar Tanko further called on the chiefs to work hand in hand with the chiefs in the diaspora to strengthen and promote the cultural bonds between the two countries adding that there are so many cultural practices which the Nigeriens in the Diaspora need to add to what they already know.
The Greater Accra Zabrama Chief expressed his profound gratitude to the Niger Chiefs for the good news from the government of Niger.
He assured the delegation that he as the Greater Accra Zabrama Chief would do his very best to ensure Nigeriens in the Diaspora especially the entrepreneurs take the opportunity of the upcoming National event and invest so it becomes successful.
He described the initiative by the Niger government as laudable which will help the Nigerien in the Diaspora to visit their homeland periodically and appealed to the government to give it out for free since it is part of development.
Alhaji Pro-Umar Tanko further assured the delegation of Niger Chiefs that Nigeriens in the Diaspora will continue to live peacefully with others so as to strengthen their relations with all other tribes in Ghana.
Informing the delegation on how the Nigeriens in the diaspora have contributed towards Ghana’s economy, he said Zabramas and Nigeriens, in general, have contributed massively to the growth in Ghana’s economy.
The entourage includes Amirou Alhassane chief canton Algazar, Albade Amirou Karma the supreme chief of Karma, Chief Boubacar Soumana, Chief of Tellebery and Chief Maiyaki Oumarou Tahiru, Chief of Carton Dessa, Humdallayi including sixteen cabinet executives. The delegation arrived in Accra from the borders of Togo on the 16 -1-2019.
By: Muhammed Faisel Mustapha/awakenewsonline.com
