By MUHAMMAD NASIR

The Regional Observatory of Onion in West and Central Africa (ORO) has called on the Government of Ghana to immediately facilitate the release of Nigerian onion trucks detained at Kotoku Market in Ghana.

The President of ORO, Alhaji Aliyu Maitasamu, made the appeal while addressing journalists in Sokoto on Thursday.

Maitasamu said the trucks had been prevented from offloading their consignments by some Ghanaian onion traders, a development he described as a serious threat to cross-border trade and regional economic integration.

According to him, onions are highly perishable commodities and the prolonged detention has already caused significant financial losses to Nigerian exporters.

“If this situation persists, the quality of the produce will continue to deteriorate, leading to avoidable economic losses for farmers, traders and businesses that depend on cross-border trade,” he said.

He disclosed that several diplomatic engagements had been initiated with trader associations and relevant stakeholders in Ghana.

“The matter had also been escalated through the ECOWAS Trade Directorate by Nigerian trade authorities to their Ghanaian counterparts.

“Regrettably, despite these interventions, the situation remains unresolved,” Maitasamu said.

The ORO president noted that Ghanaian onion traders operating in Nigeria enjoy a conducive business environment and are treated fairly without discrimination.

“They conduct their businesses freely and receive every necessary support because we regard them as brothers and partners in regional trade and economic integration,” he said.

Maitasamu stressed that the continued obstruction of legitimate onion trade contravenes the principles of the ECOWAS and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), both of which promote the free movement of goods and intra-African trade.

He appealed to the Ghanaian government and relevant authorities to take urgent steps to release the detained trucks and restore the smooth flow of agricultural trade between Nigeria and Ghana.

According to him, such action is necessary to preserve the longstanding bilateral relationship between the two countries and strengthen regional economic integration.

Maitasamu further disclosed that ORO had issued a 12-hour ultimatum for the matter to be resolved, warning that the association would take appropriate measures to protect the interests of Nigerian onion traders if no action was taken. (NAN)

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