Fakoyejo Olalekan
The Federal Government has reopened six land borders, according to the acting comptroller-general of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Wale Adeniyi.
Adeniyi said four land borders were initially reopened but later, activities resumed in two others. He added that the reopening of the six borders was strategic.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe acting comptroller-general, who gave the update after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, stated: “Well, it is not true that all Nigerian borders have been opened. The status quo ante still exists in the borders.
“If you remember that the borders were completely shut down in 2018 up until 2022 when some selected strategic borders were reopened, that is still the situation as we speak.”
“And this was why we had an ad hoc arrangement of a special unit coordinated by the office of the NSA (national security adviser) to enforce that border closure. But as we speak, about five of them have been reopened.”
Giving an update on the status of the remaining closed land borders, Adeniyi said the government is reviewing the objectives of the closure by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Recall that the land borders were closed during Buhari’s administration in a bid to tackle the smuggling of fuel from Nigeria to other African countries and support local production of rice within the country.
Continuing, Adeniyi said: “Four were initially reopened and two more were opened after that. And that is still the situation. There are ongoing processes to review this situation against the objective of the border closure itself.
“And the processes are not yet completed. And of course, when the borders are reopened, it’s not going to be subject of rumour in any way.”
Also, to address border security concerns, representatives of customs will travel to the Republic of Benin, as both countries look to foster collaboration and facilitate importation across the border.
“The aim of the visit is to foster collaboration, address border security concerns, facilitate importation across the border, and explore technological solutions to complex border challenges,” Adeniyi added.
