The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, has ordered the immediate reopening of four (4) border crossing points.
Nigeria closed its land borders last year to curb smuggling of rice and arms, which it says threatens efforts to boost local production and security, and to generate state revenues through import duties.
Buhari at a cabinet meeting ordered the reopening of these 4 land borders: Seme border to the South West, Illela and Maigatari border in the North West and Mfun in the South. The others will be reopened on December 31. The president , however, still kept restrictions on rice import and some other products.
Last month, the government ratified its membership of the African free-trade zone due to be launched in January, after initial reluctance to join the bloc for fear of exposing local industries to dumping by countries outside Africa.
Discussions to reopen Nigeria’s borders closed to the movement of goods have been going on for months.
