The Kwara State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KWACCIMA) has appealed to the federal government to reopen the Chikanda and Barbara borders located along Kwara and Niger states to promote trade along the corridors.
Speaking with journalists on Tuesday on the sideline of the planned 62nd AGM of the National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) scheduled to hold in Ilorin, the KWACCIMA President, Olalekan Ayodimeji, said traders and people in the affected communities have been seriously affected by the closure.
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He added that their means of livelihood are daily being impacted negatively by the border closure.
The KWACCIMA president said: “We were told that the border was closed because of insecurity and that arms and ammunition were being pushed into Nigeria through our borders.
“The federal government also said PMS is being exported at cheaper cost across Nigeria border to sell at higher cost outside the country, thereby jeopardising the nation’s economy.”
He further argued that the government is in the best position to analyse the success of the closures because it has affected trans-border businesses on those corridors, which are mainly informal.