Land Borders to open soon-- committee report

 

Stakeholders in the manufacturing sector, including the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria’s Export Group and the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on Wednesday, took a swipe at the Federal Government over prolonged closure of borders.

The export group of MAN and the ACCI, in separate interviews with The PUNCH, reviewed the closure of land borders since August 20, 2019 by the Federal Government and concluded that uncertainty it created was bad for the economy.

But the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, in an interview with State House correspondents after the Federal Executive meeting on Wednesday, said the committee on border closure set up by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.),  would soon submit its report.

But Ahmed said the nation’s land borders would be reopened soon.

Ahmed said the presidential committee set up on the matter had completed its job and would soon submit its report.

She said the committee would soon submit its report to the President,  following which a formal pronouncement would be made on the matter.

The minister did not however disclose when the report would be submitted and how soon the land borders will be reopened.

She said, “Mr President has set up a committee that I chair, alongside the minister of foreign affairs and other ministers including interior and agencies such  customs, immigration and other security services to review and advise him on the issue of border closure.

“The committee has just completed its work and we will be submitting our report.

“I have signed my copy; I gave everybody to sign between today (Wednesday) and tomorrow (Thursday) so that we submit the report to Mr President.”

Recall that Ahmed had, at a roundtable discussion at the 26th Nigerian Economic Summit, given an assurance that the borders would be reopened

“We have made an assessment. The President set up a committee and we have made an assessment and all the members of the committee agreed and are recommending to the President that it is time to reopen the borders.”