Border Closure: How Saki, A Community Known For Smuggling Is Coping Without Importation

The news of the closure of land boarders by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government met many people in shock. To the people of Saki town, it's not only a shock, it's like a death pronouncement because it's a major source of income for the majority of commutters in the community.

Saki, a hilly community in Saki West Local Government is a town in the Oke Ogun and Oyo North part of Oyo state which is about 40 miles (60 km) to Benin Republic border. Hence, the dominant business among youth, elders and commutants is smuggling of goods from neighboring countries. From time immemorial, Saki has been known for to be prominent in the production of aluminum pots which is meant for cooking. People around the world tend to patronise the community produced pots above other makers of pot. But the sudden change to smuggling has indeed registered the town in the map and the minds of people in the world at large. To many people, one thing that comes to mind when they hear Saki is smuggling.

The smuggling business in Saki community covers all sort of goods including arms. Recently before the land border closure, the Nigeria Police Force arrested four-man international arms-smuggling syndicate, recovering 24 AK-47 rifles from the suspects. On many occasions have Nigerian Customs busted different warehouses to seize smuggled products in the community.

A recent visit to the town with the focus of finding out how the community is coping without the usual smuggling business showed that alot of people are finding it difficult to cope. Findings revealed that the majority of rich people in the community are either into the smuggling business or have gained their capital for another business from smuggling.
Though many of the people engaging in the smuggling business refused to talk. But a few number of them and the public opinion in the community revealed that the town has been really affected by the land border closure.

A business man who doesn't want his name mentioned said the border closure has rendered him jobless since it's announcment. He said he has been spending money without earning on families and daily needs.
"I must tell you the truth, the border closure is really affecting me and my family. It's like sacking someone from a job. I have been doing this smuggling business since I was 25. The job is what gave all what I have and made me what I'm today. I have been spending since the border closure and nothing is coming in. I'm scared if things continue this way. I may run bankrupt.
"Our community majorly lives on smuggling. In fact, about 80 percent of people are into this. Some are either smugglers or selling smuggled products, which havs been helping us since we were born. Like me, I learnt the business from my parents, while some others learnt it from a boss.
This has been helping us to nurture our children even till university level" he said.

The federal government recently announced what ECOWAS member states must adhere to before reopening its land borders. The minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama listed the conditions in Abuja recently.
Some of the conditions are Some of the conditions are: 1. Any import coming from outside an ECOWAS region and imported into an ECOWAS member state must maintain its original packaging, 2. They must be escorted from the port directly to the designated entry point in the Nigerian border, presented to the Nigerian customs with their original packaging. Compromises will not be tolerated. 3. Goods produced predominantly in ECOWAS member states must satisfy the ECOWAS rules of origin to avoid any possibility of downplay. 4.Goods must be majorly produced in ECOWAS countries., 5 .If the goods are coming from outside ECOWAS, the value addition must be over 30 per cent for it to be accepted within the framework of the Economic Trade Liberalisation Scheme that ECOWAS countries have to promote trade among them., 6. All warehouses along the shared borders of Nigeria must be dismantled.

Another business, Alhaji Sulaiman Adewale who majorly deals with rice smuggling while speaking on the federal government conditions on border reopening siad it's obvious the federal government isn't not ready to reopen the land borders. He said the federal government knows the neighboring countries cannot meet up these requirements.

"The federal government conditions are not friendly. It's crystal clear that the Federal government is not ready to open the land borders. In Saki, everyone knows the striving business is smuggling. We live solely on smuggling either directly on indirectly. I don't much to say. I want to urge the federal government to kindly reconsider decision." he said.

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