Nigerian students fault mandatory registration in Ghana

The students under the aegis of International Students Association in Ghana and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) described the imposition of the non-citizens identification card as ‘pure and absolute scam’.The Ghanaian government in April this year introduced the Foreigners Identification Card for all non-Ghanaian residents and those who have domiciled in the country […]

The students under the aegis of International Students Association in Ghana and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) described the imposition of the non-citizens identification card as ‘pure and absolute scam’.
The Ghanaian government in April this year introduced the Foreigners Identification Card for all non-Ghanaian residents and those who have domiciled in the country for 90 days. All foreign nationals, including students, were given a three-month deadline to comply with the directive to compulsorily obtain the identification card for a fee of US$120 per annum, in the absence of which they would be denied social services in the country. The ultimatum elapsed on August 30.
It was learnt that Nigerian students are being denied resident permit, while some universities have refused to register them for the new academic year because they do not have the card and some have complained of receiving messages on their phones that they either comply or forget their educational pursuits in Ghana.
Reacting to the development at a press conference on Saturday in Accra, the president of the National Association of Nigerian Students in Ghana Paul Bul Phillips and president of the International Students Association in Ghana Zinami Iwariso Fyneroad berated the government for its posture towards foreign students, particularly ECOWAS citizens.
Bul Pillips criticized Ghana for disregarding the ECOWAS treaty that it is signatory to, saying that reasons cited for the imposition of the ID cards were untenable.
The NANS president said the exercise was basically a ‘political extortion’ calculated at exacerbating the plight of Nigerian students that were already overburdened, due to the high tuition paid by them. Bul-Phillips appealed to President John Mahama to assuage their pains by reversing the decision. He described the action as arbitrary, saying, “It is unreasonable that a student will have to pay US$120 and will still have to renew the card every year”.
Foreign students, including ECOWAS citizens pay exorbitant tuition in Ghanaian universities. For instance medical student at the University of Cape Coast pay not less than US$10,000 per annum for tuition. Their colleagues in other department pay US$ 6,000. Fees in Ghanaian universities are paid in dollars. Over 50,000 Nigerian students are in higher institutions in Ghana.