Ghanaian Man Calls Out GIS Over ECOWAS Citizens Overstaying in Ghana
- A Ghanaian man has criticised the Immigration Service for allegedly failing to enforce ECOWAS rules on stay limits for foreign nationals
- He argued that ECOWAS citizens overstaying 90 days without proper documents should have been treated as illegal immigrants
- He accused immigration officers of ignoring overstayers, stressing that taxpayer funds had been wasted and illegality had risen
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A Ghanaian man has called out the Immigration Service (GIS) and its head, Samuel Basintale, for what he perceived as a failure to enforce immigration laws.
Source: UGC
In a video sighted by YEN.com.gh, the young man mainly focused on the section of the immigration law concerning the ECOWAS free movement protocol.
His core rant revolved around the 90-day stay privilege granted to citizens of ECOWAS member states.
He stated that it was a privilege, not an absolute right, meaning any individual who stayed beyond the set period should be subject to the law.
Ghanaian man calls out GIS over immigrants
According to him, those citizens who did not obtain the necessary documentation should be considered illegal immigrants.
He also questioned the purpose of GIS, pointing out that Ghanaian taxpayers, like himself, funded the service with the expectation that it would enforce these laws.
He asked why he should continue paying his taxes, since many non-Ghanaians were seemingly being allowed to stay without consequence.
He expressed deep concern over the security implications, stating that many of these individuals who have overstayed are involved in illegal activities and crime, posing a direct threat to the very citizens whose taxes pay the salaries of immigration officers.
He concluded with a pointed question saying:
"If it is normal for any black person or whoever from anywhere to come and stay in Ghana because we are all black people, why do we pay you, the immigration guys? Why do I have to go and sweat, and then we'll use our taxes to pay you guys?"
Watch his rant below:
Reactions to Ghanaian man's rant about GIS
YEN.com.gh collected reactions from Ghanaians who watched the video on TikTok. Some of the comments are below.
Minister nurture commented:
"Masa, you are not the only one who pays taxes, you know, the amount of taxes the security officer pays a month is more than GH₵1000."
Emmanuelosae0 wrote:
"The system isn’t working, bro. They don’t have the data for people entering the country."
Jude Wishez said:
"You won’t understand until you join the service."
Caadi questioned:
"Why are you so concerned about paying taxes? Don’t they also pay taxes?"
global_voices001 commented:
"So the only foreigner that you know in Ghana is Nigerian. May God help African countries."
Source: Facebook
Group protests against 'Nigeria Must Go' agenda
YEN.com.gh had earlier reported that a coalition of civil society groups and activists staged a protest in Accra against xenophobic sentiments targeting Nigerians.
The demonstration, organised by a group called Africans Rising on September 21, 2025, coincided with Kwame Nkrumah Day and sought to promote African unity further.
Led by movement coordinator Hadi Yakubu, the protesters denounced the 'Nigerians Must Go' agenda, stating that the rhetoric contradicted Nkrumah’s vision.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
