“Go back to your country” “You guys come here and only do crime.” These are popular sentiments held by nationalists, including Trump and his supporters; many South Africans; and now Ghanaians.
While every country has a right to protect its borders and prevent illegal immigration, the hate for people who come to a country to earn a decent living is becoming rampant. South Africans and Ghanaians are upset that Nigerians open businesses, collect rent, and own houses in their respective countries, but they hide the actual reason for their anger by calling Nigerians criminals and uncultured. 
The hateful rhetoric has grown stronger as many Ghanaians are asking Nigerians to go back to their country, with many mentioning how their people should not rent their property to Nigerians. Karma is funny because there was a time when Ghanaians were so many in Nigeria that they also had to chase them away. Remember Ghana Must Go bags?
Are Nigerians The Problem?
Currently, the highest Ghanaian diaspora population lives in Nigeria, and 10,000 of them are in prison in Nigeria for violent crimes, yet they insist that only Nigerians are the criminals.
South Africa is also a dangerous place to live, with violence and homicide rampant. While other countries are experiencing political unrest, theirs is through gang violence. Crime researchers use the murder (or homicide) rate per 100,000 as a crude measure of the general level of violent interpersonal crime globally. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, South Africa’s murder rate of 45 per 100,000 (2023/24) is the second highest for countries that publish crime data.
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The South African Police Service crime data shows that levels of attempted murder, armed robbery, and robberies at homes have soared over the past 10 years. These crimes are not primarily done by foreigners. According to data from their correctional facilities in 2025, 25,447 foreign nationals are in correctional facilities, which makes up approximately 15.8% of the total inmate population (160,353 at the time).
This isn’t to say Nigerians are saints, but neither are Ghanaians or South Africans. These two countries are unable to introspect but would rather blame all their troubles on Nigerians.
The sad thing is Nigerians have always been allies with Ghana, calling them brothers and sisters. In fact, the Ghanaian entertainment industry often overlaps with Nigeria, with the highest streams for Ghanaian artists coming from Nigerians and Ghanaian actors acting in Nigerian films.
What was once banter about who had the best jollof has become full-on hate campaigns; this is because the citizens would rather fight foreigners than hold themselves and their government accountable for any lack of progress in their own lives.
At the end of the day, Nigerians must also hold their own government accountable, so they stop looking for greener pastures in other countries.
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