The ECOWAS Parliament on Monday appealed to the Nigerian government to reopen its closed borders as it hampers on the implementation of free trade movement within the ECOWAS region.
Speaker of the Parliament, Hon. Moustapha Cisse Lo made the call in a statement at the opening of the 2nd Extra-Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Monrovia, Liberia.

He added that the border closure poses a threat to the implementation of the Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons at a time when Africa need to intensify efforts for effective abolition of barriers within the Community.

Cisse Lo, however, urged the government to find a permanent solution to the challenge of smuggling, rather than closing the borders, which was not a lasting solution.

“In the same vein, the closure of the Nigerian borders with Benin more than a month ago and Niger more recently is a hindrance to the achievement of the Community’s main objective, which is to achieve the creation of a prosperous, borderless West African region where peace and harmony prevail.

“The ECOWAS Parliament calls for compliance with Community provisions and thus calls for the reopening of borders and a coordinated fight against smuggling in the region;

“The root causes of this recurrent situation must be studied with a view to finding a permanent solution,” he added.

He also condemned the Xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, saying that it had constituted real threats to African integration.

“At the time of our session, serious events are taking place on our continent and should be given special attention.

“Indeed, in South Africa, in recent weeks, we have witnessed an upsurge in extremely violent xenophobic acts.

“These sad images of Africa, these painful events and the tensions they generate challenge us as elected representatives of our peoples, we are extremely concerned and deeply outraged.

“The ECOWAS Parliament calls on the South African authorities to assume their responsibility by guaranteeing all their foreign nationals the right to life, physical integrity and free movement.

“We also call on all African States and the African Union to adopt diligent initiatives to restore peace and security and ensure a return to calm in South Africa and all other States.

Cisse Lo, however, expresses the readiness of the Parliament to discuss the 2020 budget of the ECOWAS Community.

He said that the agenda of the extraordinary session was to adopt Parliament’s draft Budget for 2020 financial year, as well as the revision of Rule 13 of the Rules of Procedure of the Fourth Parliament devoted to the Inaugural Session.

He said that an Ad Hoc Committee was set up to prepare a preliminary draft of Parliament’s Budget for the year 2020.

According to him, the report of the said Ad Hoc Committee was transmitted and examined by the Bureau of Parliament at its last meeting held in Monrovia.

“Parliament’s competent committee, in particular, the Administration, Finance and Budget Control Committee, after approval by Parliament will report to the Plenary.

“This is an opportunity for each of us, honourable colleagues, to impose a rigorous discipline on ourselves in order to examine the preliminary draft Budget 2020 carefully and objectively.

” I remain convinced that we will be diligent and punctual so that the full treatment of our agenda can be accomplished under good and fruitful conditions,” he said. (NAN)

https://www.solacebase.com/2019/09/17/ecowas-appeals-to-nigeria-to-reopen-borders/

NO WAY

Chidexter:
NO WAY

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The Alfa Belgore's kind of Sabotage can be permitted, but never allow The South to eat better Rice than those infested with stones coming from The North.

Chidexter:
NO WAY

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Northern Borders are open to Fulani Herdsmen. And for them(The Herdsmen, Bandits etc) NIN Cards are made easily accessible.

it looks like the president doesnt agree with the free trade

The borders must remain closed. No more cheap fuel for neighbouring countries.

Also Boko Haram cannot be going back and forth!

I pray that one day, we should achieve that which will make us great in the faces of other African countries.

I'm too eager to see this country great.

Thunder fire una, how can Republic of Benin suddenly become one of the highest importer of rice in the world if not because most are smuggled into Nigeria ?

Sebi you guys have spent the last decade denigrating Nigeria and Nigerians!
Una papa! Una daddy's daddy. Small border wey we close, convulsion dey catch una abi?

You call Nigerians drug dealers and criminals, yet your GDP is powered via our borders!
God punish all of una!

All borders must remain closed. Una never see anything!

Nigeria is a country without a blueprint!

The very reason I don’t like this regional free trade movement things.

Base on our nature in Africa, Nigeria will be affected and have less to gain from it, than our movement and not our development.

Nigeria has the largest market in West Africa and Africa at large. These Occidental and Oriental world will just be using Nigeria as dumping ground using our neighbors

SAI BABA

The President must not accept

They should come and open it now

Make dem sanction Nigeria

We

SouthSouth1914:
Nigeria is a country without a blueprint!

What is this one saying, bikonu?

this country tire me o, den dey even beg buhari

My problem with the border of a thing it's the poor masses will suffer it

LoL, them don dey beg...
My problem with this policy is the stress and hassle one has to face in Nigeria ports in the name of importing or exporting

ECOWAS can go to hell. We can not continue to shoulder the burden of the whole sub-region. For example, we are practically paying to subsidise fuel for the whole region--our fuel find their way into black markets all over the sub-region; we can't keep being the leverage for other economies in the region; we can't continue to allow arms, terrorists, bandits and economic fugitives pour into our space... Enough!

Why are the boarders closed to begin with?

Nigerias borders are porous. No need.

No!!
They want to continue milking us Dry.
The border should not be opened until necessary machineries are put in place to curb revenue leakage.
Not many countries in the world can survive with Benin and Niger Republic as neighbors.
Weldone FG.