The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, have said that the Federal Government’s closure of the Nigerian border does not in any way breach the free trade agreement in the West African sub-region.
The minister who spoke on Sunday, December 15th in Abuja said that the measure was meant to protect the country and its citizens from the nefarious activities which take place at the borders.
He said “Free trade does not mean Nigeria has to be a dumping ground for everything imported by others. These products are not even from all these countries involved. So, why should they be feasting on us? Nigeria controls 60 to 70 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the West African sub-region. So, Nigeria’s economy still remains a buffer zone for the West African sub-region. Besides, most of the people that come into this country and melt into the population from the West African su-region come in because this country is accommodating them. This happens to the extent that some of these people, when they migrate into this country, you do not even know that they are immigrants. Take for example, people from Niger Republic when they come into Kano State, what will differentiate them from the people from Kano, or those from Benin Republic who come into Oyo State or Osun. They look like us. This situation creates a problem, and the border closure is a measure that has gone a long way in solving the problem”.