Ibrahim Musa, the Director of Road Transport in the Ministry of Transportation, has confirmed that the Nigerian Government has approved the reopening of the Seme border for vehicle importation.
Musa made this announcement during a meeting organized by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) between officials from Nigeria and Benin, News About Nigeria reports.
The decision to reopen the border was made in response to complaints from freight forwarders operating at the Seme border.
During the visit of the ECOWAS Monitoring Team to the Seme-Krake Joint Border Post, Musa stated, “I was here with the former Minister of State for Transportation when the freight forwarders pleaded that the border should be reactivated for the free movement of goods and services. The former minister instructed us to prepare a memo to that effect, which was considered and sent to the government.”
Dera Nnadi, the Customs Area Controller of Seme Border Command, also commented on the matter, pointing out that the service has observed a reduction in revenue since the ban on vehicle importation through land borders.
Nnadi explained, “The former Minister of Transportation, in response to our requests and those of stakeholders, promised to present them to the Federal Executive Council (FEC), including the full reopening of this border. The Ministry has informed us that the memo has been written to FEC, it was adopted, and it will be given to the new government. He assured us that all the requests were adopted.”
This decision to reopen the Seme border for vehicle importation is expected to facilitate the movement of goods and services between Nigeria and Benin, ultimately benefiting both countries.
Compt Nnadi also said that illegal checkpoints along the border corridors have been dismantled by customs, while the Border Control unit of the Nigerian Police has promised to do the same.
He urged the federal government to complete the highway from Lagos to Seme Border, saying the completion will grow trade and investment in the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor.
Comptroller Dera Nnadi maintained that the corridor is important for the growth of trade, investment, cultural diversity and peace in West Africa and the whole of Africa.
Comptroller Nnadi who is also a Co-chair of the Joint Border Post “Abidjan-Lagos Corridor is an important corridor for trade among West African countries, a melting point where our people share culture and religion. It is a very important place where we maintain relationships and peace with ourselves. It is important to keep the corridor alive. We appreciate ECOWAS for its contribution to the growth of business in the corridor.
“While appreciating the Federal Ministry of Transportation for the ongoing rehabilitation of the highway, if the road is complete, it will improve trade.”
Nnadi called on Nigerian exporters/importers and other investors to take full advantage of the lift on the ban on export by the government and ensure that they obtain the necessary documents from the right authorities.
Speaking later during the Customs Community Relationship meeting, Compt Nnadi urged royal fathers, community leaders, and stakeholders to ensure that their communities obey the law whenever they are flagged down.
“Now that we have dismantled the checkpoints, your people must also obey the law when they are stopped for checks, if not, they would lose their means of conveyance,” he said
Speaking, the Head of ECOWAS delegation, Mr. Maliki Ashoke, Head, Road & Railways, ECOWAS Commission, said the essence of the visit was to take stock of all activities in the Corridor since the last visit over a year ago and hear the challenges being faced by operators – Customs, Immigration and others from both countries.
Ashoke observed that the weight bridge and scanners in the corridor were not used, saying the usage of the weight bridge and scanners is very important and officers from both countries should be present during scanning and weighing.
According to him, huge resources were expended to train personnel from Nigeria and Benin Republic on the use of these facilities but they are no longer being utilized.
He urged both countries to come out with their challenges so as to enable the ECOWAS to make a budget for them.
