A Nigerian Governor is claiming that nationals of the oil-rich country who are engaged in various crimes in Ghana are handed a minimum of 500 years imprisonment.

It is not known where he got those jail terms from but David Umahi who is the Governor of Ebonyi State maintains that the least sentence slapped on a national in Ghana is 500 years a claim that has been disputed by an official of the Attorney General’s Department who spoke to MyNewsGh.com on grounds of strict anonymity.

Governor David Umahi who was speaking at Nigerian 59th Independence Celebration which coincided with 23 years of Ebonyi State’s creation at Township Stadium in Abakiliki according to a report by saharareporters.com said, “I get a lot of calls from people in Ghana, saying a lot of them are about to be sentenced. Some people have been imprisoned for 1000 years and some 500 years.

“So, it is important that as Nigerians, we re-evaluate ourselves because a major cause of this is quick wealth among Nigerians and quest to travel aboard at all cost.”

Umahi added, “We must, as Nigerians, do everything to uphold our cultural values and better ourselves outside the country. “And in the area of cultism, let me say that the war has not started in Ebonyi State. So there is going to be a very intensive war against cultism as there will be whistle-blowers in this and we are going to reward them.”

Meanwhile, a Nigerian student studying in Ghana, Adebayo Samuel Ogunkoya has implored on his colleagues to be law-abiding and be ‘culturally intelligent’.

“Ghanaians are good people and the relationship between these two nations has a lot of potentials to become the envy of the world. To all Nigerian students in Ghana, I celebrate this 59th independence Anniversary of our country with you. We know the challenges facing our dear country, the solutions to those challenges lie with us.

Our current leaders are the product of our society, we have an opportunity to correct the wrongs in our social infrastructure and team-up to build a viable and prosperous Nigeria that is livable for the strong, weak and disabled.

We are in Ghana to learn and like I always reiterate, learning goes beyond what you’re being taught within the walls of your school. Four years in a country is a rare opportunity that can be maximized to learn a new culture, new language and new thinking”, he said in a statement copied to MyNewsGh.com.