BY RAPHAEL EKPANG
The Senate on Wednesday urged the Minister of Foreign Affairs and his counterpart in the Ministry Interior to increase diplomatic outreach with the governments of the REPUBLIC OF BENIN, CAMEROUN, NIGER and CHAD to take urgent measures to stop their countries from being used as smuggling base to perpetuate the illegal importation of unwanted goods into the country.
In a motion entitled, “the Impact of Border Closure on the Nigerian Economy” and sponsored by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Works, SENATOR ADAMU ALIERO, ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS, APC, KEBBI CENTRAL and Co-Sponsored by 8 Others.
ALIERO said, “Consequently, petroleum products have become readily available in every part of the country: Notes that the smuggling of textile and vegetable oil imported from Malaysia through the land borders which has negatively affected local production is equally grounded to a halt. The good news of the Federal government’s action is that it has led to a revival of local production of vegetable oil and increased employment generation; “Notes and appreciate other products like rice, processed frozen chicken, tomato puree and tomato paste frozen fish, the sugar that comes into Nigeria through Benin to the Cameroun Republic land borders have also stopped: “Further notes that the most impactful of the benefits accruing to the country from this temporary border closures is the positive effect on the security situation in Nigeria. It has made it impossible for smugglers of small and light weapons to bringing them into the country. This has reduced the supply of arms and ammunitions to bandits and insurgents,”
ALIERO argued that the manufacturing sector has suddenly breathed a sigh of relief from the ongoing economic boost resulting in factories coming back to produce items such as tomato puree, milk, chicken, fish and even toothpicks directly as a result of the border closure, it is clear that the economy is moving up positively.
“Concerns over deteriorating security situation in Nigeria is slowing down particularly because arms smuggling through the borders and foreign fighters coming to boost the insurgency of Boko Haram and their Islamic State of West Africa (ISWA) collaborators has been jolted.”
In his presentation, ALIERO praised the PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI led Federal government over the border closure noting that supply of arms and ammunition to BOKO HARAM and their ISLAMIC STATE OF WEST AFRICA (ISWA) have been halted.
According to him, as a result of the situation in the border towns, the Nigerian economy is experiencing what he described as a lot of positive derivatives that are impacting on the country, adding that fuel smuggling has significantly reduced, thereby saving the country billions of scarce foreign exchange spent by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to import fuel into Nigeria.
Former Minister of Interior, SENATOR ABBA MORO, PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY, PDP, BENUE SOUTH observed that Nigeria was administering a wrong dose of medicine to an ailment that will kill someone, while he noted that the closure of the land borders was a wrong option.
According to MORO, closing our borders should be the last option, just as he said that there are so many illegitimate routes to be used by smugglers while those doing legitimate businesses, using legitimate routes are stranded. He said that at the moment and with the action of the government, revenue coming through legitimate routes are no longer coming, even as he lamented that Nigerians living across borders are caught in the crossfires.
MORO said, ” We should look at this policy of border closure because it doesn’t address the problem. Nigeria has only 87 legal land border routes. We have over 1000 illegal routes and the immigration can’t man it. When you close the legitimate routes, the illegitimate routes are used.”
On his part, Senate Minority leader, SENATOR ENYINNAYA ABARIBE, PDP, ABIA SOUTH described the motion as a Public Relation (PR) for the Federal government saying that the situation projected by the motion was more than meets the eyes, adding that Nigeria will be very far from where it wants to go if they did not close the over 1000 illegal land borders.
ABARIBE who noted that those doing legitimate businesses should not be left stranded, however, asked what was the job of Customs, Immigration and others, adding, ” It is the failure of those saddled with the responsibilities. When we are being told that tankers with 33,000 liters move across our borders. What it tells us is that it is an organized market.”
“With what we have done other part of the world will see us as a country that does not keep to its word having signed a lot of agreement with Africa for free movement , “ABARIBE concluded.
