National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS) on Thursday said the prolonged and continued closure of Nigeria’s land borders has serious implications on importation of raw materials for the manufacturing sector.
President of NANTS, Dr. Ken Ukaoha, stated this in his welcome address on the implications and matters arising from the Nigeria border closure and dynamics of COVID-19 on Nigeria’s trade competitiveness.
He said the closure had affected competitiveness and exports to galvanise revenue necessary for the revival and stability of the domestic economy, especially in view of the financial strain and revenue depletion caused by COVID-19 on the nation’s resources.
He noted that Nigerian government had complained severally concerning the poor compliance with the implementation of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) and other regional trade related Protocols such as the Inter-State Transit Protocol by her neighbours which had no doubt resulted in massive smuggling, drug peddling, proliferation of small arms and light weapons (which had exacerbated Nigeria’s insecurity challenge), among others, as its reasons for the border closure.
He said the entire situation appeared to have left no winner in the process and outcome, as goods belonging to traders, including perishable items and processed commodities with expiry dates were stranded at the nation’s borders for over a year now.
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He explained that the meeting was convened “to bring together the private sector, relevant civil society organisations as well as key public sector actors related to trade and competitiveness (particularly, the trade and border enforcement agencies) and trade policy makers with a view to examining the challenges, consequences, impact and matters arising from the border closure.
“This forum will examine the costs and benefits of the border closure, the identifiable legal gaps and future possible approaches and alternatives, as well as recommend actions for improving decisions on domestic and regional competitiveness and trade infrastructure.”
At the end of the meeting, the stakeholders observed that “insecurity, drug abuse, human trafficking, arm trafficking and light weapons which are largely connected with insecurity in Nigeria and manifesting in terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of criminality may have necessitated the closure of the border.
“The perceived attitude of Nigeria neighbours (Benin & Niger republic) towards the effective enforcement of ECOWAS laws (example, interstate transit protocol) perhaps became the justification for Nigerians reaction, resulting in the closure of the border,” he said.
