The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) have concluded a stakeholders’ engagement focused on mainstreaming informal cross-border trade in Saki.
Held at the Westland Hotel in Saki, Oyo State, the event aimed to enhance economic development through organized trade practices and data collection.
Representing the NEPC’s Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, Director, Trade Information Department, Dr. Joe Itah, emphasised the crucial role of border towns in Nigeria as trade hubs.
Ayeni stated: “Border towns are important trade hubs which should be more organised to bring benefits to the country.”
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Under the theme “Mainstreaming Informal Cross-Border Trade and Data Collection for Enhanced Economic Development,” the engagement provided a platform for stakeholders to share experiences related to cross-border trade. Addressing the issue of poor road conditions in Saki, Itah remarked, “We have seen the deplorable state of the road and we know that the government is doing something positive to ensure the road is fixed to serve the people. When we go back, we shall talk about what the country is missing with the state of the road and something positive will be done.”
Itah also highlighted the importance of educating the public on the government’s data capturing operations regarding cross-border trade. He reassured attendees, saying, “We are not coming as tax collectors, we are not coming to take away jobs from your people. Instead, we want to enhance what you do.”
Discussing the broader goals of the initiative, Itah said, “We are here to make food available for the people and out of that, they should have something left for export. The Federal and State Governments are aware we are here. We plead that the traditional rulers sensitise the people to cooperate with us. We have some small papers to fill, we need to make the people know how to earn hard currency and have enough to send their children to school.”
He noted the strategic importance of Saki, explaining, “This is not the first place we are visiting, this is the second place. We were at Kebbi where we visited four border towns. Then because of the importance of Saki, that is why we are here.”
Assistant Controller Mr. Elijah Kayode, representing the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, emphasized the importance of collaboration between NEPC and NCS. He said, “The collaboration between the NEPC and the Nigerian Customs Service is aimed at doubling the country’s foreign reserve earnings. This is why the Nigerian Customs Service is in collaboration with the NEPC for exports to double and increase foreign exchange, and besides, statistics records are very important for us to know our volume of trade in a year.”
Kayode further highlighted the need for proper documentation and record-keeping to generate accurate statistical data from informal cross-border trade. “Without proper documentation or record keeping, there will be no accurate statistical data generated from the informal cross-border trade,” he said.
Addressing a common issue, he noted, “Truth be told, many people are not aware while some feign ignorance of the export laws that guide importation into and exportation of goods out of the country and what would accrue to them and the country as a whole.”
The traditional ruler of Saki, the Okere of Saki, His Imperial Majesty Oba Khalid Olabisi Oyedepo III, expressed his support.
He stated: “God has created us here, we have the opportunity and we have to seize that opportunity and use it to better ourselves and the system as a whole.” Reflecting on the historical significance of the Okerete border trade route, he recalled, “We have been clamouring for this Okerete Border Post right from when I was in secondary school. That route has been the ancient route where trade started. People from Mali, Timbuktu prefer coming through Okerete to going to Lagos because it’s easier for them.”
He noted improvements in Saki’s economy, saying, “When the people say the economy is not improving, I say the economy here is actually improving. It may not be as fast as expected, but it’s improving because five to ten years ago, you will not see warehouses in Saki but all over the place today you will see warehouses, that show that something is happening.”
The monarch lamented infrastructural deficits, particularly in power supply and road conditions. “I do tell our people that the business they do is cross border business, a lot is going on but not duly documented. I want to believe that with the intervention of NEPC and Nigerian Customs the trade here will be duly documented for proper data collection,” he said.
The event also included visits to various loading points in Saki, including Isale Oja Sango loading point, Up Road Chikanda unit, Okerete Trans-Border Market road, the proposed site for Okerete loading point, Harulite Ebinola Global Resources at Sango-Kolawole road Saki, Alh. Akeem Owonikoko House (Agricultural Products), Sherifat (Plastic and others) in Abote Area, and Iya Muri Warehouse (General goods).
