With the lifting of the ban, it is anticipated that the Seme border will witness a resurgence in trade and increased economic activity in the coming months.
By Jude-Ken Ojinnaka
The Federal Government has opened land borders which were closed by the last administration and lifted the ban on the importation of vehicles through the land borders.
TheNiche gathered that this development is expected to inject new life into economic activities within the border region.
Recall that the previous administration had closed land borders between Nigeria and Cotonou, Benin Republic. As a result of the closure, the importation of vehicles through that route was banned.
But on Thursday, Ibrahim Musa, the Director of Road Transport in the Ministry of Transportation, said that the Federal Government has approved the reopening of the Seme border for vehicle imports.
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He disclosed this at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) meeting between officials from Nigeria and Benin. Musa cited the complaints of freight forwarders operating at the border as the major force that necessitated lifting the ban.
During the visit of the ECOWAS Monitoring Team to the Seme-Krake Joint Border Post, Musa said: “I was here with the former Minister of State for Transportation when the freight forwarders pleaded for the reactivation of the border to facilitate the free movement of goods and services. The former minister instructed us to prepare a memo on this matter, which was duly considered and forwarded to the government.”
The Customs Area Controller of Seme Border Command, Dera Nnadi admitted and confirmed the negative impact of the vehicle importation ban on customs revenue, noting the decline in revenue since the implementation of the ban.
With the lifting of the ban, it is anticipated that the Seme border will witness a resurgence in trade and increased economic activity in the coming months.