₦airaland Forum

The Nigerian government on Monday gave a list of conditions that must be met for it to reopen its borders.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, alongside members of the Inter-ministerial committee on the temporary partial closure of land borders, held a press briefing in Abuja to discuss the issues.

The nation’s borders have been closed for several weeks in a move the government said was to grow the local economy and reduce illegal importation.

The issue has generated controversy in the economy with many condemning the government for not providing palliatives to curb the expected rise in basic goods for families.  Some also argue that the border closure violates Nigeria’s agreements within ECOWAS and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.

Other Nigerians have, however, commended the initiative saying it would help increase local production and use of made-in-Nigerian goods.

PREMIUM TIMES also reported officials of the federal government saying the closure has led to increased revenue for the Nigeria Customs Serviceand a reduction in the volume of petrol smuggled outside Nigeria. Mr Buhari has since extended the border closure to January next year.

Conditions

Some conditions were agreed upon by members of the Nigerian side of the tripartite committee set up to review the policy.

The conditions as stated by Mr Onyeama are as follows:

–          Any import coming from outside an ECOWAS region and imported into an ECOWAS member state must maintain its original packaging. 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.

–          Goods produced predominantly in ECOWAS member states must satisfy the ECOWAS rules of origin to avoid any possibility of downplay. Goods must be majorly produced in ECOWAS countries.

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.

This is to avoid countries outside member states from exporting their goods into ECOWAS region repackaged, as though they are coming from an ECOWAS region.4

–          All warehouses along the shared borders of Nigeria must be dismantled.

–          Goods being transported must be put in proper recognized packaging. No longer will we have goods of all shapes and sizes going through the borders. To maintain the best practices of those goods, an accepted condition for packaging will be established.

–          In regards to free movements of persons, all persons moving through Nigerian borders must present themselves through recognized entry points and must have recognized travel documents (country passport).

Review

In two weeks Nigeria will be hosting a tripartite meeting (Niger, Benin, and Nigeria) to further review the policy.

Heads of ministries of foreign affairs, interior, finance, customs, immigration, NIA and other security segments will form the committees of each country represented.

Source: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/360986-nigeria-lists-conditions-to-reopen-borders-with-neighbours.html

Front page: Lalasticlala

Typical. Misplaced Priorities

nice

The ECOWAS countries should ignore this Nonsense .. Borders are similar to filters in reality a border is put in place to filter what come into a country and what leaves but the Buhari govt is trying to blame the filtering efficiency of it's borders on other countries which is total Balderdash !!!!! Border cost millions of dollars to maintain and they are not built for ceremonial purpose but to act as filter that filters out unwanted goods and allow what is wanted come . When your water filter is bad at home you don't go about blaming your neighbors for the dirty water coming into your home but you instead fix the filter and get it working properly

These conditions don't do much to address smuggling. Half of these conditions are currently rules on the book. They regulate legitimate business more but they weren't the issue to begin with. I was expecting them to demand more information sharing and policing border on their side more.

All warehouses along the shared borders of Nigeria must be dismantled.

Lol it's going to be interesting to see how they react to this one.

All these nah story.

The simple answers to the smuggling problem is to reduce import tariffs on rice and other goods to realistic levels. If import duties on these goods were not more than 20%, I'm sure the illegal re-export to Nigeria would cease.

Next, government must reform the ports by sanitizing them, making them a business friendly place to import goods through. That is not the case presently with the Apapa ports for instance. Importers complain bitterly of them

Okay. ....



See signature for your landed Properties in Ibeju lekki and it's environs.

Let's see how this goes .



See signature .

SarkinYarki:
The ECOWAS country's should ignore this Nonsense .. Borders are similar to filters in reality a border is put in place to filter what come into a country and what leaves but the Buhari govt is trying to blame the filtering efficiency of it's borders on other countries which is total Balderdash !!!!! Border cost millions of dollars to maintain and they are not built for ceremonial purpose but to act as filter that filters out unwanted goods and allow what is wanted come . When your water filter is bad at home you don't go about blaming your neighbors for the dirty water coming into your home but you instead fix the filter and get it working properly

Why is it that we Nigerians are incapable of reasoning out of the box most of the time?.

I support Buhari on this one. For those of us who oppose this (strategically thought out policy implements) policy, please think deeply & think out of the box as well.

Could it be that, there are two strategic policy components to this?.

Could the first component seek to position Nigeria, for some sectors to witness increase in productivity/revenue generation and etc?.

Could the second component seek to early test the modus operandi of the newly signed Africa Free Trade Area & regional body like Ecowas engaging them to the seriousness of these treaties & how these treaties can sink some African economies while uplifting others. Thank God, that Nigeria have fired the first shot aimed at this complexities..... which I believe the outcome must be a stronger institution/regime to oversight the efficient running of these treaties to the benefit of all African economies while keeping the powerful predators guessing.

Enough said.

Orisirisi 9ja Now Forming

I thought it was agreed that it’s going to be opened by January 2020?

Confuse set of ndi iberibe...

Abeg check my signature

The question should be; Are the borders actually closed?

This government hasn't been a thinking kind of government right from day one..

SarkinYarki:
The ECOWAS country's should ignore this Nonsense .. Borders are similar to filters in reality a border is put in place to filter what come into a country and what leaves but the Buhari govt is trying to blame the filtering efficiency of it's borders on other countries which is total Balderdash !!!!!

Border cost millions of dollars to maintain and they are not built for ceremonial purpose but to act as filter that filters out unwanted goods and allow what is wanted come . When your water filter is bad at home you don't go about blaming your neighbors for the dirty water coming into your home but you instead fix the filter and get it working properly

Oversabi dey worry you Oga
You are just too much, even sef three much.

www.nairaland.com/attachments/4257139_mumuhamadu_jpeg8f5b75be4e14a3d41f9327e6532cd03c


www.nairaland.com/attachments/2829596_img6325197050325_jpeg_jpeg61db8b350e65ada0da8fdf4018fb03e4

dis man should open d border na or he want hunger to kill some one ni ����

dis man should open d border na or he want hunger to kill some one ni

Ok hope Katsina- Niger border's security is airtight? Cos there are tons of entry points to Nigeria from there some of which are footpaths




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Sincerely, the whole drama is interesting

SarkinYarki:
The ECOWAS country's should ignore this Nonsense .. Borders are similar to filters in reality a border is put in place to filter what come into a country and what leaves but the Buhari govt is trying to blame the filtering efficiency of it's borders on other countries which is total Balderdash !!!!! Border cost millions of dollars to maintain and they are not built for ceremonial purpose but to act as filter that filters out unwanted goods and allow what is wanted come . When your water filter is bad at home you don't go about blaming your neighbors for the dirty water coming into your home but you instead fix the filter and get it working properly

I concur

Now what happen to over 100 illegal routes dotting the Northern part of this country; which the smugglers still bring in all these products?

Ghanaians forgot this


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5coxkuN0SI

I think this is a welcome development

healthserve:
Typical. Misplaced Priorities

To you

What's the point of setting these conditions when it was already declared borders will be reopened in January?
The conditions. Goods must be in the original packaging?...how would they determine that?....as if rice from China is repackaged as rice from Ghana? Goods must be escorted from the ports to the border crossing.... escorted by Police? These people need to sit down and plan policies instead just rushing to press briefings and saying whatever comes to mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9QzwKjMNsc

I love all the stated conditions

nonsense

SarkinYarki:
The ECOWAS country's should ignore this Nonsense .. Borders are similar to filters in reality a border is put in place to filter what come into a country and what leaves but the Buhari govt is trying to blame the filtering efficiency of it's borders on other countries which is total Balderdash !!!!! Border cost millions of dollars to maintain and they are not built for ceremonial purpose but to act as filter that filters out unwanted goods and allow what is wanted come . When your water filter is bad at home you don't go about blaming your neighbors for the dirty water coming into your home but you instead fix the filter and get it working properly

Some will ever be biased, goods destined for for Nigeria and Nigerians shipped into other countries, ferried across unmanned illegal routes and people even like what you wrote here?

I dont even support Buhari opening that border...

Eat and use what you have.... you are in no competition with the outside world,if you really love the taste of the outside world, then make it if you can.

We complain of foreign exchange escalating while someone boldly said he bought $250 door from china and the other $120 undies from UK, when you can get very good ones in Nigeria here at quarter that price.

esky158:
dis man should open d border na or he want hunger to kill some one ni

Go and farm hunger will not kee you. That is what our ancestors used to survive and they weren't complaining.

Good one from the FG