Topmaike007:
in the past 3 months have you heard of any herdsmen attack I think what Fg is doing now is good if You guys can praise Trump for building Mexico Wall why not praise this government

Trump building wall is different from this border closure policy. Trump building wall is about shutting the door against illegal immigrants. If it was Trump that is in Buhari's seat, he probably would be doing what he is doing to China. Have you heard of multiple streams of income before?

I'll suggest that you think about this border closure like an entrepreneur or like a capitalist probably you'll see what I'm saying sir/ma

My observation is that even before the borders were closed, most of the rice sold in Nigeria are local rice which are packed with foreign Names and labels.
Going forward, all locally produced rice should be marked 'Proudly Nija' in addition to the brand name.
We need to be able to identify locally produced rice!

MrNipplesLover:
the Border should remain closed so that we won't have anything to Bother.



since some people already have their blood burried in smuggling, and they don't want to follow the legitimate path to importation.
shebi dem no wan get sense ni, sense dey come soon.

That's why we have custom and we pay them. What are they getting paid for if they cannot secure our borders?

Was your cow president or goatment forced to signed the free trade agreement, this is what you get where illiterates rules over the educated illiterates

mrvitalis:
I look at sustainability of any policy and this is not sustainable ...can we close our borders for 5 years or 10 years or 25 years

Buhari like most Nigerians like treating the symptoms not root cause

The problem is we import foreign rice

Root cuase
1) our local grains are short Nigerians prefer longer grain
2) our yield are small average 1 ton per hectare while Thailand is 10ton per hectare
3) we have evil birds that can eat up ur farm in few days ...eat everything

Closing border is like forcing ur child to listen to radio because he goes to the next compound to watch TV which he love .

My solutions
1) we need to develop our seeds ...Jonathan government did a lot on this regard don't know why they were not continued ...we need to develop long grains

2) develop grains that yeild between 6 to 10 tons per hectare ...n can be planted 2 to 3 times a year

3) give loans to major rice farmers already to expand

4 ) develop ways to handle those evil birds ...we can learn from iseral

Create rice farming villages

Place 50% import duty on rice imported use the money to fund the above

In 5 years we can achieve full sufficiency then u can ban import

You are blessed with wisdom. Thank God your point made Front-page

God bless you for saying the truth.

When we keep maintaining ceremonial structures in these places with their official wicked touts every where working for their big ogas.

Refer back to an urgly experience at Seme border in 2016, when I decided to cross the border by my self for the first time because I have been using ABC Transport.

Fast-forward to that very very day, I was really confident that It will be a free moment since I had all my documents -int'l passport, yellow card and my student ID Card.

To my greatest surprise, I was wrong as I was traumatized at the end of the day.

My brothers, I have to pass through almost 10 caravan offices to answer 1 or 2 questions, some which don't even make sense. Sometimes when you try to question them, they will tell you that they own the place so you should not question them.
Only the faces of some of them, will tell you that something is wrong.

Please note that you are not just visiting these so called offices, but you have to give them some money before coming out as some of them were not even ready to look at your papers.

Once you come out of an office and try to work free on the road, immediately you will see some hungry looking dirty touts directing you to another caravan; and if you dare refuse them, you are in a big trouble as they will go as far as fighting and destroying your things. I saw them fighting with people and dragging their luggages, but there was this young fair man who not only fought with them, but went as far as swimming the dirty stagnant water and peddling stones with them simply because he refused to follow their direction.
May looking at the man, one can deduce that as a regular user of the border, he purposely prepared for them (because of his dressing how he wrapped his only bag around his body and his boldness in challenging them).

I decided to take this route because I wanted to stamp my passport since I never passed there without stamping my passport, but when I got fed up with giving money as I was spending out of my budget plus the time wasted because any office you entered without giving, you will not be allowed to leave no matter your excuse and plea as if they are deaf.

At this time, I was thinking of what will become of me if my colleagues I was traveling with at the other end should leave me because they took the apian way with the help of crossers while I decided to take due process so I became stubborn too and refused to give.
(Trying so hard to cut it short).

In all these, anytime I remember the experience, the one that keep paining me was my experience in customs and ports clinic offices where I was meant to pay money even with my papers intact. At a time they questioned about the colour of the biro used in signing my paper. Saying that there should be red pen in it.
At a point I wanted to take it up with them as I have already noted some of their names, but with other expenses in the numerous caravans and the thought of missing my colleagues, I finally forgot everything as I became frustrated, traumatized and weak out of annoyance. At a point, I started cry, when I remembered that I was receiving all that in my own country by my own people.

I was frustrated because when I crossed Togo border -Ila Conje, I paid only trois cents (300 official price) to stamp my passport and there was no harassment instead they told me 'bon voyage' with good smile on their faces.
Those who did not want to stamp their passports walked free after securing check.

Nigeria, my Nigeria, which way, please?

NB:
Please I forgot to inform you that it happened during the waiting of the commissioning of the newly built Nigerian Border for years.

nauto5:
Do we have border ?

I see several people reasoning like VP Yemi Osinbajo on this platform. They prefer to close their shop, sit down and start monitoring their shop to see how the thief would steal from their shop again.

The World has gone past that. We'll lose a lot of money and be at the detrimental end if we continue with this policy. We should be looking at maximising our competitive edge rather than closing our land border.

FG could have increased import duties, patronise locally made product themselves to encourage citizens, give loans and tax breaks to farmers and watch how the story changes but mba, we think the closing of land borders is the best way to go. We're practically shutting the door against investors.

obi58:


Thank you for the big English you have written up there but it does not go to the root of the problem.

The question that you should be answering is WHY importers prefer to ship their goods meant to Nigeria to Benin first and then smuggle them into the country?

Be it used cars, rice, used clothes etc duty paid in Benin is much cheaper hence the preference to berth their goods there. So why doesn't the government cut down the duty paid at our borders to make it economically unviable for an importer to ship goods to Benin when same are meant for Nigeria? Instead we choose to close the land borders? Are our customs officers not at the borders? What then is their job if they are unable to effectively Police our borders? Everyday we talk about millions of litres of fuel imported for the Nigerian people being diverted to neighbouring countries and that with the closure of the borders daily demand for fuel has dropped by 8 million litres so why has this diversion been happening right under the noses of the customs if they are not complicit in the smuggling activities themselves.

Finally back to the rice issue.... In case you don't know, with the border closure rice is now scarce not just foreign rice but local rice. Both have gone up in the market by over 50%! What steps are government taking to ensure local rice is not just sufficiently produced to meet domestic demand but at cheaper prices than foreign substitutes?

Can we close our land borders forever?

I totally agree with all what you said, it is also a bad decision because it sets a bad example for other African countries to follow.

Bidphil:


That's why we have custom and we pay them. What are they getting paid for if they cannot secure our borders?

and you think those animals called customs are not thieves?

it is a shame this country is filled with criminals in officers' clothes.



I hail u, bro.

mrvitalis:
I look at sustainability of any policy and this is not sustainable ...can we close our borders for 5 years or 10 years or 25 years

Buhari like most Nigerians like treating the symptoms not root cause

The problem is we import foreign rice

Root cuase
1) our local grains are short Nigerians prefer longer grain
2) our yield are small average 1 ton per hectare while Thailand is 10ton per hectare
3) we have evil birds that can eat up ur farm in few days ...eat everything

Closing border is like forcing ur child to listen to radio because he goes to the next compound to watch TV which he love .

My solutions
1) we need to develop our seeds ...Jonathan government did a lot on this regard don't know why they were not continued ...we need to develop long grains

2) develop grains that yeild between 6 to 10 tons per hectare ...n can be planted 2 to 3 times a year

3) give loans to major rice farmers already to expand

4 ) develop ways to handle those evil birds ...we can learn from iseral

Create rice farming villages

Place 50% import duty on rice imported use the money to fund the above

In 5 years we can achieve full sufficiency then u can ban import

Nice one bro...

more insightful knowledge to your brain!!!

It is Very good step anda one of the Best Action this Government has Take.

It will

*Help Our Economy alot
*Boost Our Local Manufacturer
*alleviate Poverty
*Our Manufacturing Sector especially RICE MANUFACTURING is Going to be more Dutiful as They know we Depend on them more Than before..

Am not surprise seeing some anti-Nigeria Nigerians talking Bad about Border Closure And that assure me that there are some People that use to feel Purge When Seeing Nigerian Government taking some step that is essential for our development and Growth...MAY THEY SAD ON BORDER CLOSURE TAYA :

The Only Thing one more Thing is OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY should Intensify Their effort to Secure all Border Thightly.

GODBLESSNIGERIA

"Economic implosion that will resonate prosperity.."

Who send you with this type of yawaa sense?
I hereby declare that school you attended to be closed down.

NimrodEndOfDays:
The dvmbest and most irrational policy ever undertaken by any government. At the end of the day,it's still the same masses that would suffer. I am sure it's foreign rice that is eaten in Aso Rock and the homes of these politicians. Am in awe how people even support this.

Were Nigerians consulted through their National Assembly before the borders were closed?

In other words, one man called president can now decide to roast all Nigerians or part of it.

kikake:



Were Nigerians consulted through their National Assembly before the borders were closed?

In other words, one man called president can now decide to roast all Nigerians or part of it.

now for those who are supporting these moves should tell us what were the measures taken to cushion these effects what were the problems that would be created and how it would benefit us in the long run. people always play tribal and ethnic card to things that are damn serious.

Is rice the only Nigeria problem? Am sure 99 percent of those in support of this border closure don't have any business to do with border because if they do they will have rethink.

RichDad1:
There’s only one word:
Excellent

please can you explain 3 things that make it excellent.

Closing of the border can only enrich the top officers because they will have enough money to share within themselves.

mrvitalis:
I look at sustainability of any policy and this is not sustainable ...can we close our borders for 5 years or 10 years or 25 years

Buhari like most Nigerians like treating the symptoms not root cause

The problem is we import foreign rice

Root cuase
1) our local grains are short Nigerians prefer longer grain
2) our yield are small average 1 ton per hectare while Thailand is 10ton per hectare
3) we have evil birds that can eat up ur farm in few days ...eat everything

Closing border is like forcing ur child to listen to radio because he goes to the next compound to watch TV which he love .

My solutions
1) we need to develop our seeds ...Jonathan government did a lot on this regard don't know why they were not continued ...we need to develop long grains

2) develop grains that yeild between 6 to 10 tons per hectare ...n can be planted 2 to 3 times a year

3) give loans to major rice farmers already to expand

4 ) develop ways to handle those evil birds ...we can learn from iseral

Create rice farming villages

Place 50% import duty on rice imported use the money to fund the above

In 5 years we can achieve full sufficiency then u can ban import

Brilliant and welcome ldea

wasi9ice:


Brilliant and welcome ldea

https:///E3wdqzBOPpLGBLdPTkn9U3 join here

The main target here is Rice. But
Local farmers have seized this opportunity to increase the prize making the policy to look stupid and evil before the consumers...

Most local products are substandard yet almost sold same prize as a foreign product, that's one of the reasons people still go for the foreign products even amid scarcity .

NimrodEndOfDays:
The dvmbest and most irrational policy ever undertaken by any government. At the end of the day,it's still the same masses that would suffer. I am sure it's foreign rice that is eaten in Aso Rock and the homes of these politicians. Am in awe how people even support this.

Lots of people think the border is closed to politicians.... This move will bend Nigeria in the near future because other countries will learn to be sufficient as Nigeria breached the ECOWAS free trade movement

Most things Nigerian are just difficult for no reason. What has border closure got to do with increase in price of Yam or Garri?

It appears the closure has more advantages than disadvantages.

Qadaffi2idiamin:
Lots of people think the border is closed to politicians.... This move will bend Nigeria in the near future because other countries will learn to be sufficient as Nigeria breached the ECOWAS free trade movement

And it would create alot of enemies that we do not want.This Buhari and Shagari created the bad blood we have with our Ghanaian brothers when we chased them out of our country. now they dont depend on us. in most African countries we are always disrespected and it is hurting us. what stops Buhari from improving the local rice and increasing the quality. Nigerians will always buy the best. most wires we use are NIGERIAN cables. i wonder why they cannot think outside the box. at the end of the day it is us with the green passport that would be harassed. they all carry DIPLOMATIC PASSPORTS.

otokx:
Most things Nigerian are just difficult for no reason. What has border closure got to do with increase in price of Yam or Garri?

It appears the closure has more advantages than disadvantages.

Did u say more advantages than disadvantages ?

Bidphil:
I see several people reasoning like VP Yemi Osinbajo on this platform. They prefer to close their shop, sit down and start monitoring their shop to see how the thief would steal from their shop again.

The World has gone past that. We'll lose a lot of money and be at the detrimental end if we continue with this policy. We should be looking at maximising our competitive edge rather than closing our land border.

FG could have increased import duties, patronise locally made product themselves to encourage citizens, give loans and tax breaks to farmers and watch how the story changes but mba, we think the closing of land borders is the best way to go. We're practically shutting the door against investors.

the funniest thing is that Nigeria has done all the bolded, there's no ban on rice importation, forex for it is only restricted and import duty was increased, thats d reason people smuggle it more on land border than through d seaport.

Ayam coming!










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VirginSearcher:
It is not good at all, we tend to copy western nations that are far more developed than us, how can u close border when we don't even have any infrastructure working in the country, common power to encourage production we can't boast of, so what's the point . They leave major problems and chase shadows. A country that is not near self sufficiency in the next 100million years to come and u are closing border, until power issue is solved in this country nothing will ever work, to get every other thing right we must start from steady power generation because if solved it will go a long way in reducing crime, joblessness, poverty, banditry and so on.. Buhari and his zombies advising him are senseless I feel like strangling them

Nonsense!

NimrodEndOfDays:
And it would create alot of enemies that we do not want.This Buhari and Shagari created the bad blood we have with our Ghanaian brothers when we chased them out of our country. now they dont depend on us. in most African countries we are always disrespected and it is hurting us. what stops Buhari from improving the local rice and increasing the quality. Nigerians will always buy the best. most wires we use are NIGERIAN cables. i wonder why they cannot think outside the box. at the end of the day it is us with the green passport that would be harassed. they all carry DIPLOMATIC PASSPORTS.

I just don't subscribe to this lock down. I agree with you, its us carrying green passport that'll get hurt. They call themselves VIPs. But I know soon enough we'll take back our country.

Wallade:
I think it is not


As for fish, Nigeria can not meet local demand for fish. We must import fish at controlled rate and also encourage local production of fish. Our potential is in production of cat fish and tilapia but no other types other than sea fish. Government can also encourage sea fishing business to supplement our catfish and tilapia fish production. However, we shouldn't deny Nigerians the need to consume Titus, "Panla", croaker fish etc.

I love the way you dissected your opinion and placed it in paragraphs for easy reading and comprehension.

However, I'll like you to explain further on some issues you brought up.

- The car importation, won't it be better and even provide more jobs if these manufacturers are "seduced" to come set up their plants here in Nigeria? Ive heard stories that in the past, these companies had plants in Nigeria, but they closed and moved away.

So, instead of just allowing them import, can't we seduce them to return?

- About poultry farming, trust me, there are a whole lot of people involved in poultry farming that I don't even see the need for the imported ones. But visit any cold room, and you'll see cartons of imported frozen chicken.

Is it the packaging that is making Nigerians patronise them or what?

I personally know of a lecturer in FUTO who is into poultry farming and packages it in such a way you'll think it's imported, I also know a woman at Federal junction, along Ipaja road, who operates a kind of point and kill business for poultry; you choose the one you want, she kills it and defeathers it there for you.

Shouldn't there be a way to push Nigerians into these aspects of the poultry business? Because most people look at the stress of buying a live chicken, killing it, defeathering it, and just decide to go for the imported frozen ones.

- Finally, these fishes you mentioned, the panlas, kotes and co, can't they be produced domestically? Or is there a kinda law that stipulates it must be only tilapia and catfish that we produce in Nigeria?

Please. If possible, give very practical solutions where applicable

Thanks again.

Closing of borders is direct attack on the poor masses

How is the border closure generating foreign exchange for us? How is it solving our poverty problem? It has rather increased the cost of living of Nigerians and reduced the standard of living.

The beneficiaries and those greedy farmers and mostly from the north.

Let them also ban importation of refined products. Niger Delta boys can do it. Let then ban importation of keke na pep, Innosun motors can handle it.