When in 2019 the former president, Muhammadu Buhari, ordered the closure of all land borders it was clear that the government had effectively banned the import and export of most especially food products to encourage local production.
It was aimed at achieving self-sufficiency in local food production for domestic use and export.
Nigeria’s open and, mostly, porous borders were identified as responsible for the country’s economic woes for several years.
Locally manufactured or produced goods’ competition with foreign-manufactured products has forced the shutting down of many once-thriving Nigerian brands and companies. Their collapse led to the loss of work by hundreds of thousands of their workers.
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It also goes without saying that agriculture is the backbone of Northern Nigeria’s economy, providing employment for a significant portion of the population.
The increase in the number of rice mills in the northern part of Nigeria was due to the border closure, the sector has created hundreds of thousands of job opportunities.
The border closure has also encouraged many Nigerians to engage in agriculture and this was leading to self-sufficiency in food production.
Between January and March 2021, agriculture contributed 22.35 per cent to Nigeria’s total Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Although some people are already happy with the President Tinubu-led government’s decision to re-open the border by allowing the importation of rice, tomatoes and many other products, for the farmers in the northern part of Nigeria, this decision will spell doom for their future lives.
A large number of northerners are farmers, be it rainy season or irrigation farming; many households depend solely on farming for their livelihood. The opening of the border will render many worthless as the locally-produced products may not be able to compete with the imported varieties, thus making farming activity not profitable.
The people in the North could be seen as people fighting attacks from all sides – on education, farming and other businesses. It is time the federal government, through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), re-evaluates the pros and cons of this decision and opts for a people-friendly and popular option.
Alhassan A. Bala wrote from Abuja and can be reached via: [email protected]
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