Two months into the partial land border closure with four neighbours, Nigeria has again explained that it took the action to force the countries to comply with the terms of trade agreement.
The trade agreement was signed with Benin, Chad, Niger and Cameroon, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, said on Thursday.
According to the foreign affairs ministry in Abuja, Ahmed made the explanation at on the side lines of the on-going World Bank/International Monetary Fund meetings in Washington DC.
She explained that in spite of repeated appeals, the countries were not ready to comply with the terms of the bilateral agreements entered with Nigeria.
She explained that the signing of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement in Niamey, Niger by President Muhammadu Buhari made it imperative for the countries to fully comply.
“We needed to close the borders because we are not getting cooperation from our neighbouring countries. We have over the years committed to some alliances and bilateral agreements, but our neighbours are not respecting them.
“The practices where our neighbours are engaged in hurting our economy, hurting our local businesses and we have to make sure that it stops. `That is the purpose for the closure of the border and not revenue generation.
“That revenues are generated is the consequence, but that is not the objective. It is just to ensure compliance of the commitments that we made between ourselves and our neighbouring countries,” she said.
She warned that the borders would not be reopened until the country got the commitment of its neighbours to the agreements signed.
Col Ahmed Ali (rtd), the Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, also warned that the borders would not be re-opened until the countries fully complied with Nigeria’s agreement with them.
He warned that a more comprehensive measure was likely to be taken if the situation persisted.
MM/GIK/APA