The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed has disclosed that the Federal Government would soon reopen the land borders that were closed as part of measures to curtail illegal importations into the country.
Nigeria, the largest economy and the most prosperous of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), last year August closed its land borders on account of the proliferation of illegal importation of drugs, small arms and agricultural products coming from neighbouring West African countries.
The Finance Minister while reacting to a question on when Nigerian borders closed since August last year would be reopened at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Buhari, said the committee constituted by the President on the matter had done an assessment of the gains of the closure and had recommended that the borders be reopened.
Members of the committee are ministers of finance, budget and national planning, interior and foreign affairs.
She said once members of the committee sign the report, it will be submitted.
Buhari has the final say
The finance minister was however silent on the day of submission and date of the reopening.
Ahmed, had at a roundtable discussion at the 26th Nigerian Economic Summit (NES #26), assured that the borders would be reopened soon.
She had told the audience at the NES #26 that: “We have made an assessment, the president set up a committee and we have made an assessment and all the members of the committee agreed and are recommending to the president that it is time to reopen the borders.
“The objective has been met in the sense that we have been able, over these couple of months, to work together with our partners in a tripartite committee and do a joint border patrol together and reinforced the sanctity of the commitments that we made to each other. So, each side has learnt its lessons.
“Nigeria has been affecting our partners in terms of businesses that we have in Nigeria as well. So, we will be expecting that the borders will be reopened very soon. The date will be decided by Mr President.”
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