Border closure not in breach of free trade agreement, FG insists

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, has said Federal Government’s closure of the nation’s land borders is not in breach of the free trade agreement in the West African sub-region.

The minister stated this in Abuja at the weekend, insisting that the measure was meant to protect the country and its citizens from the nefarious activities taking place at the borders.

“Free trade does not mean that Nigeria has to be a dumping ground for everything imported by others. These products are not even from all these countries involved. So, why should they be feasting on us?

“Nigeria controls 60 to 70 per cent of the West African sub-regions Gross Domestic Product (GDP). So, the country’s economy still remains a buffer zone for the sub-region.

“Besides, most of the people that come into the country and melt into the population from the sub-region come in because this country accommodates them.

“This happens to the extent that when some of these people migrate into this country, you do not even know that they are immigrants.

“For example, when people from Niger Republic come into Kano State, what will differentiate them from the people of Kano, or those from Benin Republic who come into Oyo State or Osun. They look like us,” he said.

He added that the situation has been creating a problem for the country so much so that the border closure has become a necessary measure that has gone a long way in resolving the problem.

The minister also disclosed that the Federal Government was discussing with the countries concerned to ensure that they kept to the terms of the region’s free trade agreement, stressing that the border closure was not meant to hurt anybody.

“It was a decision taken after careful deliberation and series of attempts by government to get the neighbouring countries to check the illegal activities at the borders,” he added.

Nanono pointed out that a lot of activities were going on at the borders, which were not in the best interest of Nigeria and Nigerians.

“Nigeria became a dumping ground for all kinds of imports, especially rice, which used to come from these neighbouring countries. Unfortunately, most of the rice are not healthy and 100 per cent of them were not produced in those countries. They were produced elsewhere.

“From available information, some of the countries were even given some form of assistance to curb these imports, but they refused to change.

“They went ahead to make their countries routes for importation of rice and other things into this country.

“No country in the world can tolerate what we have tolerated over the years.

Nigeria is a country that can produce rice, not only to feed its people, but also to export to other countries,” he said.