Sesi Whingan, a member of the house of representatives from
Lagos state, says the federal government will soon open the borders for
commercial activities.
Whingan, representing Badagry constituency, spoke recently
during a stakeholders and youth engagement organised by his office.
The engagement was themed, ‘Charting a Prosperous Future for
Badagry: Unlocking Potential, Empowering People, and Accelerating Progress’.
According to the lawmaker, the government is trying to see
how they can mop up revenue internally.
“This is a policy
that we believe needs to be done and will lead to good,” Whingan said.
“The current administration will soon open borders for
commercial activities; I know it is affecting us and our incomes. I know what
my constituents are going through.”
Speaking on the lack of electricity supply in some areas,
the lawmaker assured that the staff of rural electrification would come to look
into it in the next few days.
Also on roadblocks, Whingan said no development would come
to Badagry because of “multiple checkpoints along the Lagos Badagry
expressway”.
“I have spoken against multiple checkpoints on the floor of
the house,” he said.
“I doubt if we can achieve any development if we have people
stopping and discouraging tourists and investors from coming to this corridor.
“You cannot go through the stress of these multiple
checkpoints as a tourist and you would want to come back to this place.
“The security
agencies need to start looking at using technology to address this. A single
drone can secure and monitor this axis.”
On August 19, 2019, the federal government ordered the
closure of the country’s land borders over the illegal importation of drugs,
arms, and agricultural products into Nigeria from neighbouring West African
countries.
In December 2020, former president Muhammadu Buhari ordered
the reopening of four land borders.
Months after the reopening, the ex-president expressed
concern that the closure of the borders had failed to stop arms smuggling into
Nigeria.
On July 11, 2023, Wale Adeniyi, comptroller-general of the
Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), said not all borders in the country have been
reopened.
Adeniyi said six land borders had been opened, adding that a
review was ongoing to assess the objectives of the closure.
In April, the comptroller-general said the country was
making progress with consultations on the reopening of the borders with Niger
Republic and Benin Republic.
The reopening of the borders is expected to go a long way in
promoting trade and reducing the prices of goods.
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