Tag: Border

  • Why I Deliberately Closed Borders — Buhari

    Why I Deliberately Closed Borders — Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the policies taken by his administration were deliberately made for the development of the country.

    He stated this on Tuesday at the inauguration of a new Customs Headquarters, built at the cost of N19.6 billion, in Abuja.

    Buhari said that such policies became legacy programmes because they later became the delight of the people and the country.

    He said the ban on the importation of foreign rice, for instance, was one such policy.

    “I deliberately closed the borders. I said it is either you eat what you grow or you grow what you eat and later Nigerians appreciated it,” he said.

    On corruption, Buhari said he had nothing to hide, adding that, “those who are following Nigerian leaders to condemn them for misappropriation and misbehaviour will have a problem with me.”

    On the relationship with neighbouring African countries, the president said there was a need to maintain a cordial relationship with them.

    “When I became the President, my first visit was to Niger, Chad and Cameroon because if you do not secure their confidence, you will be in trouble.’’

    The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said the new customs headquarters was a symbol of the present government’s commitment to effective service delivery.

    She said the board under her leadership, prioritised customs’ staff welfare.

    She said the board ensured “regular promotion for customs personnel, training opportunities”, among others.

    She thanked the president for signing the Nigeria Customs Act 2022, saying it would go a long way in enabling the service to meet up with international best practices.

    Ahmed thanked the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and other stakeholders for their continued support, adding that it had enhanced the service’s mandate of trade facilitation and revenue generation.

    Earlier, Comptroller of Customs retired Col. Hammed Ali said he ensured the building was completed to create a conducive environment for personnel to carry out their responsibilities effectively.

    “When I assumed office in 2015, I was resolute on implementing the three “Rs”; Reform, Restructure and Raise the Revenue profile of the Service.

    “In view of this, I was not in doubt that a conducive environment is important and that is why I ensured the completion of the new corporate headquarters.”

    Ali said the building was technologically friendly with the necessary facilities to monitor activities at the different borders and commands across the country.

    Ali said the building, which sits on approximately 25,000 square meters, was designed and constructed by indigenous firms.

    He said although there were challenges of variations in the course of the project, the service was proud to erect one of the most cost-effective edifices in the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Customs corporate headquarters referred to as “Customs House”, is located in the Maitama areas in Abuja.

    The building has a 12-floor tower with five floors on both wings of the tower and “bridges” linking the two wings.

    The project was conceived in 2002 to provide a comfortable and conducive working environment for staff and authorised visitors to the building.

  • 2023 Elections: Nigeria Immigration Orders 24-Hour Border Closure

    2023 Elections: Nigeria Immigration Orders 24-Hour Border Closure

    The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has ordered the closure of the country’s borders throughout Saturday for the presidential and National Assembly elections.

    The Comptroller General, NIS, Isah Jere Idris, gave the directive to command comptrollers across the country in a circular made available to Channels Television on Thursday.

    The circular titled ‘Border Closure for the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Elections’ read: “The Federal Government has directed the total closure of all Land Borders effective from 00:00 hours on Saturday 25th February, 2023 to 00:00 hours Sunday, 26th February, 2023.

    “Accordingly, all Command Comptrollers especially those in the Border States are to ensure strict enforcement of this directive.

  • COVID-19: Students want Ogun Govt. to screen people entering Nigeria from border communities

    COVID-19: Students want Ogun Govt. to screen people entering Nigeria from border communities

    Abeokuta,  March 19,  2020 The National Association of Ogun State Students (NAOSS) has called on the state government to urgently deploy health officers with screening  kits at the  various  ports of entry into Nigeria from Benin Republic.

     

     

    They said that this was to control the coronavirus pandemic from spreading into Ogun and the country through its  border towns with Benin Republic.

     

    The National President of the association, Mr Oluwagbemileke Ogunrombi, stated this in a statement he issued in Abeokuta on Thursday.

     

    He said that the call was necessitated by the report of the first case of Coronavirus outbreak  in Benin Republic, a neighbouring country that shares borders with Nigeria through Ogun.

     

    “To avert a major health crisis in the state, we call on the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, to immediately place hospitals and health centres in border communities in state on the alert.

     

    “The health workers in the border communities must also be on the lookout for people with symptoms of the disease.

     

    “We call on the state government, through the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to urgently deploy health officers in ports of entry to test people entering into the country for Coronavirus.

     

    “We are aware of the fact that Ogun state is the gateway into the country from the neighbouring Benin Republic.

     

    “Therefore, we are imploring the state to be more proactive in preventing the virus from finding its way into Nigeria from foreigners that will be entering Nigeria through the land borders.’’

     

    He also implored the traditional rulers, leaders and the entire residents of border communities in Ogun to  be on the alert and report any suspected cases to the appropriate authority.

     

    The students’ leader commended the state government for its quick response to the first case of Coronavirus in the state.

     

    He said that the case would have escalated but for the prompt attention of the state government.

     

    Ogunrombi also advised the state government to close all schools across the state for a period of time to avoid the spread of the disease.

  • Sanusi, Fayemi say Nigeria’s decision to close border in national interest

    Sanusi, Fayemi say Nigeria’s decision to close border in national interest

    Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State have said that the decision by Nigeria to close its border is part of the measures to preserve its foreign policy in the national interest.

    They made this known on Tuesday in Abuja during the launch of the maiden Foreign Policy Journal by the Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria (ARCAN).

    They noted that the decision by President Muhammadu Buhari was to stop neighbouring countries from violating the ECOWAS Protocol given that Nigeria was fast becoming a dumping ground.

    Sanusi said that the closure of the border was not inconsistent with the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA), adding that countries should learn to live by the rules.

    “Last time, I was critical of Nigeria’s refusal to sign the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and recently I have been in supportive of the decision to close the border which now looks like two contradictory positions but they are not.

    “The understanding that you have a free trade zone must come with the understanding that everybody must play by the rules. If the rules don’t work, the free trade does not work.

    “Nigeria is 70 per cent of the population of West Africa and If we have an industrial policy that is aimed at protecting the productive sector of Nigeria it is a fair competition.

    “We cannot allow our neighbors to open their doors to this unfair competition and through the back door undermine our industry.

    “It is not about smuggling petroleum or rice but in 2017, the Republic of Benin was the world’s second largest importer of Tramadol to the United States.

    “All those drugs came into Northern Nigeria and now we hear that there are also arms coming in.

    “So closing the borders, I hope is not a permanent solution but what I hope is that is an opportunity to sit down and agree on rules and then open up the borders.

    “It is extremely important to have a Foreign Policy that is ready to take very firm decision to protect the national interest against dangerous trade activities”, Sanusi said.

    Fayemi said that the border closure is a foreign Policy measure that promotes the interest of the people because free trade has its rules and countries must adhere to those rules.

    He said that the ACFTA was not a ground to allow for trade activities that would be detrimental to Nigeria and its citizens.

    “You cannot say because we have signed up to the African Continental Free Trade Agreement you then violate the principle of free trade by dumping in our country.

    “Those that think of the actions of Mr President as wrong are definitely misguided”, Fayemi said.

    Fayemi further commended ARCAN for the inititiative to compile the Foreign Policy journal which he said would give Nigerians more knowledge on Nigeria’s Foreign Policies.

    In his remarks, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister for Foreign Affairs commended ARCAN for its dedication in ensuring that Nigeria’s foreign policy is constantly kept on the front burner through its various intellectually stimulating activities.

    Onyeama who was represented by Amb. Zubairu Dada, Minister of State, Foreign Affairs said that there is no entity more qualified than ARCAN to speak on Nigeria’s Foreign Policy considering their wealth of experience.

    He said that the launch of the journal was apt, as it was coming at a time the ministry was in the process of reviewing Nigeria’s foreign policy which is one of the 11 priority mandates of President Buhari.

    Onyeama urged all Foreign Service Officers to read the journal and utilise it in furtherance of the service delivery.

    Amb. Oladpo Fafowora, ARCAN Nation President said that the association launched the journal as part of its contribution to national development.

    “Our foreign affairs and foreign policies are now facing severe challenges which needs to be addressed urgently.

    “We in ARCAN stand firmly to assisting in finding solutions to these challenges and with the launch this journal, the voice of retired ambassadors in Nigeria will be heard more publicly,” Fafowora said. (NAN)