FG To Re-open Seme Border For Vehicle Importation

The Federal Government of Nigeria has considered complaints by freight forwarders and is working on the re-opening of the Seme land border to import vehicles.

Truetells Nigeria recalls that the government had, on August 21, 2019, ordered the closure of Nigerian borders to curb the smuggling of goods and weapons.

Many Nigerians had lamented the unannounced closure of the Seme border in Lagos, which links Nigeria with some neighbouring West African countries. The development at the initial time got some Nigerians and traders from the Benin Republic who had come to Nigeria stranded at the border.

However, after four years, the Director of Road Transport in the Ministry of Transportation, Ibrahim Musa, announced yesterday that the government had okayed the reopening of the border after many considerations.

Musa, who spoke at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) meeting organised between officials of Nigeria and the Benin Republic, said: “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 made us prepare a memo to that effect. It was considered and sent to the government.”

On his part, the Customs Area Controller of Seme Border Command, Dera Nnadi, lamented that the service had noticed a reduction in its revenue since the importation of vehicles through the land borders was suspended by the immediate past administration.

Nnadi said: “The former Minister of Transportation, responding to some of our requests and from the stakeholders, promised to take them to the Federal Executive Council, FEC, one of them is how to fully open this border.

“The Ministry has informed us that the memo has been written to FEC and it was adopted and that it would be given to the new government, he assured us that all the requests were adopted.”