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Border Closure’s Impact On Nigeria’s Economy - LEADERSHIP
The partial closure of Nigeria’s land borders since August 2019 has impacted positively on the nation’s economy. ABDULLAHI OLESIN reports.
When President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the partial closure of Nigeria’s land borders to check infiltration of banned imported goods and products into the country, the news was received by some Nigerians with mixed feelings.
Some Nigerians, especially the inhabitants of border communities saw the president’s order as a sort of punishment as they openly criticised it.
In Kwara State, the people of the border communities in Baruten local government sent emissaries to the Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and the north-central zone operation joint border drill on the adverse effect the border closure was having on their socio- economic activities.
The speaker of the state House of
Assembly, Hon. Yakubu Danladi Salihu also visited the authorities of the operation joint border drill in Ilorin, the state capital to explore ways of finding solution to the problem of fuel scarcity in Baruten local government area, allegedly occasioned by the partial border closure.
However, the Nigeria Customs Service’s account of gains of the border closure has dwarfed its seeming disadvantages.
The NCS at a restricted sensitisation programme in Ilorin, Kwara State during the week hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for his courageous decision on the partial closure of Nigeria’s land borders.
The NSC noted that the implementation of the border closure’s directive has impacted positively on the nation’s economy.
The national spokesman of the NSC and ‘ Operation Swift Response’, Joseph Attah who addressed the gathering said Nigerian farmers now smile to banks because of the ban on importation of rice into the country.
He noted that the operation joint border drill which commenced operations in August, 2019 has prevented smugglers from bringing foreign rice into the country” and this has encouraged the consumption of local rice which is more nutritious by Nigerians.”
Attah added:” farmers are now smiling to banks because there is market for their product now,more jobs are also created in the agricultural sector while the local industry has been stabilised.Our series of interactions and engagements with Rice Millers Association of Nigeria since the commencement of this exercise has shown that the border closure has impacted positively.
“In the area of security, the ongoing exercise has recorded a number of seizures and arrests that would have had grave security consequences; 697 illegal immigrants have been arrested.
“Also, some items seized include 86,602 of 50 kg bags of parboiled foreign rice; 1,172 vehicles; 2,997 drums filled with petrol; 16,771 jerry cans of vegetable oil; 66,000 litres of tankers of vegetable oil; 15,089 jerry cans of petrol and 695 bags of NPK fertilizer for making explosives.
“It is important to note that 90 percent illicit drugs and weapons that are being used for acts of terrorism and kidnapping in Nigeria today came in through our porous land borders. This means that the arms and ammunition these terrorists and criminal elements were using no longer gain entry into the country.”
Attah who said the occasion ought to be a town hall meeting, but for the coronavirus pandemic said the aforementioned development is possible because” Nigerians are lucky to have a president who has the political will to order the closure of the nation’s land borders. We have leadership that’s decisive and know what is good for its people. “
He added that “Nigeria remains committed to the ongoing diplomatic
engagements to finding lasting solutions to the concerns that necessitated the partial border closure. The government through diplomatic channels will continue to engage our neighbours on the need to comply with the ECOWAS Protocol on Transit. Goods that are on the prohibition list to Nigeria, such as rice, used clothing, poultry products, illicit drugs, vegetable oil should not be exported to Nigeria by our neighbours.”
Attah said that the service used to generate between N4 billion and N5 billion daily, adding that since the border closure it now generates between N5 billion and N6billion daily to the country’s coffers.
He said the estimated worth of seized contraband items since the policy is N7.4 billion.
He, however, acknowledged the fact that the ongoing federal government partial border closure is being interpreted differently by different people.
He noted that porous land borders and uncooperative attitude of most border community dwellers are inhibiting the smooth implementation of the policy.
Other factors that arose from the border closure, according to Attah include restriction on importation of raw materials through land borders; restriction on exportation of finished goods through land border and hostility towards Nigerian businesses in neighbouring countries