Mr. Sesi Whingah, the lawmaker representing Badagry Constituency in the House of Representatives, has stated that the federal government will soon reopen Nigeria’s land borders for commercial and trade activities.
Whingah provided this assurance during the Badagry Stakeholders and Youth Engagement event organized by his office on Saturday.
According to the lawmaker, the government is working to find ways to bolster internal revenue generation.
“This is a policy that we believe needs to be done and will lead to good.
“The current administration will soon open borders for commercial activities; I know it is affecting us and our incomes. I know what my constituents are going through,” he said.
On the issue of roadblocks, Whingah emphasized that development in Badagry is being hindered by the numerous checkpoints along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
“I doubt if we can achieve any development if we have people stopping and discouraging tourists and investors from coming to this corridor.
“You cannot go through the stress of these multiple checkpoints as a tourist and you would want to come back to this place.
“The security agencies need to start looking at using technology to address this. A single drone can secure and monitor this axis,” he added.
Backstory
In October 2019, the Federal Government announced the total closure of land borders, placing a ban on both legitimate and illegitimate movement of goods in and out of the country.
The closure of the borders was part of the government’s efforts to prevent the smuggling of illegal arms, food & agricultural products to stimulate local production.
Meanwhile, in December 2020, former President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the immediate reopening of four of the land borders, over a year after they were all shut.
Yet the government still prohibits the importation of food items through these various land borders.
What you should know
Nigeria is currently facing the highest cost of living crisis in decades, with food inflation soaring almost 39%, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
The surge In staple food prices has sparked social unrest, leading many young Nigerians to protest against the high cost of living.
- In response, the federal government ordered the temporal suspension of import duties on selected food items to cushion the effect of this high cost of living.
- The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security approved a 150-day duty/tariff-free window for the importation of specific staple foods into the country to cushion the supply deficit and reduce food prices.
- Meanwhile, the government said the temporal importation of these food items will not derail activities geared towards improving local food production.
