We may soon reopen land borders, says FG

Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, says the nation’s land borders, may be reopened soon.

Speaking with state house correspondents in Abuja on Wednesday, Ahmed said the presidential committee set up on the border closure had recommended reopening.

Nigeria, the largest economy and the most prosperous of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), last August closed its land borders over the proliferation of illegal importation of drugs, small arms and agricultural products into Nigeria from neighbouring West African countries.

Ahmed said after assessing the gains of the closure, the committee recommended to the president to reopen the borders.

She said once members of the committee sign the report, it will be submitted but she was silent on the day of submission and also date of the reopening.

During a session at the ongoing summit of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Ahmed had explained that Buhari set up a committee to assess the situation with other countries.

According to the minister, all members of the committee recommended that the borders be reopened.

“We have made an assessment, the president set up a committee to carry out an assessment and all the members of the committee recommended to the president that it is time to open the borders,” she had said.

“The objectives have been met in the sense that we have been able to work with our partners in a tripartite committee and reinforce the sanctity of the commitment that we made to one another so each side has learnt its lesson.

“Nigeria has been affected as well as our partners in terms of businesses so we will be expecting that the border will reopen very soon. The date will be decided by the president.”