President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, says the country will soon be lifting its land border closure directive to make way for trade between it and other West African countries.
President Buhari is said to have made the announcement during a meeting with elected Governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party in Abuja.
Nigeria last month showed its commitment to reopen its borders amid skyrocketing food prices and increased calls for reopening of the borders.
The West African country and the Continent’s biggest economy, closed its land borders to curb smuggling of goods as well as curtail the importation of substandard goods into the country.
Reacting to the new development, President of the Ghana Union Trade Association (GUTA), Dr Joseph Obeng, welcomed the news but noted that the reopening of Nigeria’s borders was as a result of the impact it has had on its own citizenry.
“Nigeria’s decision to soon reopen its borders is good news, it has now realised that it cannot live in isolation. But my mind you, the reopening of their borders is not as a result of external calls to do so but rather from their own citizens. Because their citizens are feeling the effects of the closure and are suffering, most of the goods locked outside the borders belong to Nigerians, so they are really feeling the pinch of the border closure,” he stated.
