Sallah - Nigerians Living in Ghana Celebrate On Low Key

By Emmanuel Okogba

The Nigerians in the Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) Ghana chapter, said it celebrated this year's Eid-El-Adha in low key.

The President of NIDO-Ghana, Kaycey Ogbonna, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja that the celebration marked a deviation from the past.

According to him, the organisation did not make adequate arrangement to come together and celebrate Sallah this year as it used to.

"The reason is that, after returning from the commemoration of the Diaspora Day celebration held in Nigeria on July 25, most of our members stayed back with their families.

"A lot of them seized the opportunity to monitor their businesses.

"Besides, Sallah celebration in Ghana is not usually a big deal as it is in Nigeria.

"Ghanaian Government only set aside one day as a public holiday for the celebration of Sallah and the religious tolerance is very high in the country.

"As a means of promoting unity in NIDO, we always say both Muslim and Christian prayers in all our meetings and we are very united in terms of religion.

"We do not have any form of religious discrimination and we have never had religious tension," Ogbonna, said.

According to him, Nigerians living in Ghana were more than seven million people and often exchange visitation among themselves during festive periods.

The president identified leadership selection as a major challenge facing NIDO-Ghana, which he attributed to over-population by particular Nigerian tribe living in Ghana.

He, however, said that the organisation recently held an executive meeting, where a strategy was designed to promote equal opportunities for persons that were eligible to lead the chapter, irrespective of tribe. (NAN)

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