By Nicholas Kalu, Abuja
The House of Representatives yesterday rejected the reopening of land borders across the country.
This followed a debate over a motion on the Urgent Need to Re-Open Idiroko Border and Other Land Borders in Nigeria, presented by Kolawole Lawal and 10 other lawmakers.
The house members, who expressed support for the motion, said the development had created poverty, especially among the border communities.
They said part of the reasons for the closure was to check the proliferation of arms to check criminality.
The lawmakers noted that the purpose seemed to have been defeated, following increased insecurity across the country.
But those who argued against the reopening, including Deputy Speaker Ahmed Wase, said the closure was necessary to check insecurity.
They said the closure had reduced the movement of arms as well as improved local businesses, among other reasons.
The motion was stepped down after a voice vote when majority of the lawmakers opposed it.
Lawal had noted that in the effort to curb smuggling, the Federal Government, in August 2019, closed Nigeria’s land borders with neighbouring Benin Republic, Republic of Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic.
The House recalled that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) opened all land borders on December 31, 2020.
The lawmakers said before the closure of the borders, the Nigeria-Benin Republic border at Idiroko in Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State alone generated an annual revenue of over N6 billion.
The lawmakers said they were also aware that the Seme, Illela, Maigatari and Mfun land borders had been reopened, leaving other land borders still closed.
They expressed concern that since the closure of Nigeria’s borders in August 2019, residents of Idiroko in Ogun State had witnessed a massive economic downturn.
They also expressed concerned that the government’s decision to ban illegal importation of food items with the border closure had not increased food production as the country was still experiencing food shortage.
The lawmakers were further concerned that the decision to stem smuggling of goods through the closure of land borders has increased food smuggling and other prohibited items as well as other crimes, thus raising questions about the measure’s effectiveness and the actual reasons for the decision.
They were disturbed that with the closure of petrol stations around the Idiroko border, the economic activities in the town has crippled thus causing untold hardship to the people of the area.
The lawmakers expressed worry that the border closure had profound repercussions on the landmark free trade agreement signed by 54 of Africa’s 55 countries, an initiative hailed as a crucial step towards removing the continent’s trade barriers.
They urged the government to invest in better border security and surveillance as well as strengthen human capacity around the borders to curb insecurity, smuggling and other crimes.
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