Lawmaker Lists Benefits Of Border Closure In Nigeria

Lawmaker Commends Border Closure Initiative

Mr. Victor Akande, a lawmaker representing Ojo Constituency I at the Lagos State House of Assembly has commended the border closure initiative by the federal government.

The legislator said in his submission that Nigerians will still praise President Muhammadu Buhari when the country begins to reap the benefits of the land border closure.

Akande, who is the Chairman, House Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Public Petitions and LASIEC in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos however noted that Nigerians may need to endure the temporary pains occasioned by the closure in order to fully enjoy the security and economic benefits expected to accrue to the nation

Akande said: “It is more beneficial to close our border than to allow it open for now.

“Nigerians might not understand this now, maybe because of the little pains it has brought; but the positive effects that will soon follow will make Nigerians to praise the President for doing so.

The lawmaker listed security gains, boost of local production capacity, job creation and many others as benefits Nigeria will gain from the land border closure.

“Security of our country is key and germane; if this step is not taken now, it may be difficult to control movement of people, arms and ammunition into the country and win the war against insurgency,” he said.

“We need the closure also to battle problems of unemployment in the country. Our appetite for foreign goods and services is to our detriment.

“We create jobs for citizens of the countries where these foreign goods are coming from while our teeming youths do not get work to do.

“As long as our local goods are not patronised, it is a death sentence to employment opportunities in our country.

“The border closure will make us look inward and see what we can do for ourselves and even go back to agriculture. Nigerians will praise the government later for this step,” he said.

Akande further submitted that the policy will lead to self-sufficiency in food production as well as general economic growth and development.

“We will have a sense of self-sufficiency. It is an avenue for us to develop. People are cultivating and producing rice everywhere now which is good for us,” he said.

Meanwhile, Naija News previously reported that Godwin Emefiele, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria after a meeting with President Buhari on Monday disclosed that neighbouring countries must engage with Nigeria before the Nigerian border is reopened.

Recall the border was closed in August due to the substandard products that are smuggled and dumped into the Nigerian markets as well as the need to combat security challenges.