I did not label Ghanaian retail traders as opportunists – Speaker Bagbin

• A meeting between the Speaker of Parliament and leadership of GUTA has been held

•It was to clarify pronouncements made by some members of GUTA concerning the retail trade impasse between Ghana and Nigeria

•Speaker Bagbin assured the trade body of his support in protecting the interest of Ghanaian retail traders in their dealing with other nationals

Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has debunked assertions that he labeled Ghanaian retail traders as opportunists amid the ongoing trade impasse between Ghana and Nigeria.

This comes after some members of the Ghana Union of Traders Association made pronouncements against the Speaker of Parliament following an indication the GIPC Act, Act 865 was to be reviewed to favour Nigerian traders into Ghana.

But the Speaker during a meeting held with the leadership of GUTA to iron out matters, pointed that his statement made before Nigeria’s Parliament has been misconstrued by the trade union and its members.

“How can I go and sell Ghana to Nigerians, that is never possible and the message I sent there was misrepresented. I am a champion of retail trade in Ghana, there is no way I will go against that,” he stated.

“I will never go and sell Ghana for a pittance. If I wanted money, by this time I would have been one of the richest in Ghana,” the speaker assured GUTA’s leadership.

Speaker Bagbin urged for “calm heads to prevail” with a focus on the need to protect the interest of Ghanaian traders in their dealing with other nationals.

Meanwhile, the Leadership of GUTA, fronted by its president, Dr Joseph Obeng following the meeting expressed gratitude with the outcome and clarifications made.

The association also thanked the Speaker for his unwavering support and rendered an apology to him for the earlier pronouncements made to [Alban Bagbin] of which was accepted.