Three weeks into the ongoing intensive joint border patrol by the security agencies led by Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Nigerian Army and Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Nigerian land borders have remained closed to both legitimate and illegitimate businesses, BDSUNDAY has learnt.
Consequently, the volume of smuggled contraband commodities especially foreign parboiled rice, frozen turkey and chicken, second-hand clothing and others that come into Nigerian markets through the land borders have reduced drastically.
When BDSUNDAY visited markets in Lagos, it was discovered that three weeks after the nation’s land borders were shut to import and export businesses that commodities such as foreign parboiled rice, frozen turkey and ‘Orobo’ chicken, which at the early stage of the border closure were scare in supply, are now finding their way into Nigerian markets but at a reduced rate.
It was also discovered that prices of these commodities are still on the high side as 50kg of foreign parboiled now goes for N19,500; N320 for one ‘derica cup’ and N1,625 for one paint bucket of rice.
Also, a cartoon of frozen turkey goes for N15,000; one cartoon of frozen ‘Orobo’ chicken goes for N14,000 while a cartoon of Nigerian chicken goes as low as N11,500.
“Though, the border closure has seriously impacted negatively on our business but the truth is that we still find way to bring in rice into the market. Though, it is tough these days. Before the Federal Government began the border closure exercise, I used to go to Cotonou market almost on daily basis to bring at least 60 bags of 50kg parboiled,” said a rice dealer in one of the notable markets in Lagos, who gave her name as Iya Bola.
According to her, business has gone down in the last three weeks as she now manages to go to Cotonou just two or three times a week, only to bring in about 20 bags of 50kg rice per trip.
“The presence of these security agencies has really tightened movement in the border, but we sometimes had to move our rice by boat through the water at night. But this could be very dangerous to anybody because these boat riders’ use this locally made lantern called hurricane lamp as light to see where they are going, which can rarely be visible to move on the water at dark hours of the night,” Iya Bola added.
Findings have shown that in the last three weeks, the nation’s land borders have remained closed up till date with nobody allowed to move cargo out or bring in any form of cargo into the country.
“In the past four weeks, the situation is still same till date as cargoes are not allowed in and out of Seme border till date. It is only travellers with legitimate travelling documents that are allowed in and out of the border within the hours of 6am and 6pm every day,” confirmed Bisiriyu Fanu, chairman of Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agent (ANLCA), Seme chapter, in a telephone interview with BDSUNDAY.
The situation, according to him, can only be likened to the days Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) is on strike because Licensed Customs Agents are presently idling away in their houses without business due to the border closure.
“Unfortunately, it is Nigerian economy and Lagos markets that are most affected because those items that Nigerians import through the seaports, people used to come from other neigbouring countries to buy and export them. But now, they cannot do same. Even if they come in to buy, they would not be able to take them out,” he said.
Fanu, who said that when government wants to do something people would definitely be affected, added that government said they want to close the borders for security purposes for a period of one month.
“Security could be for the sake of Nigerians or against smuggling of contraband and other illicit imports, but the issue with the exercise was that government failed to inform us (the citizens) ahead of time about the border closure so that we can inform our importers not import,” he lamented.
He further disclosed that the opening of the border is being delayed because the Federal Government expects the neigbouring countries to sign agreement with Nigeria that they would not allow contraband items to leave their border posts into Nigerian markets again.
On the effect of the exercise on trade agreement such as ECOWAS treaty and ETLs, he said that those polices do not governor prohibited items. “For instance, this foreign parboiled rice that comes to Nigeria through Cotonou border is not consumed in Cotonou, which questions the reasons for Benin importers to be bringing in such product into their country.”
Apart from impact of border closure on businesses, farming activities in Illela, Kamba, Dole Kaina and Lolo border communities in Sokoto and Kebbi States are also largely affected.
Report has it that residents of the Kamba/Niger Republic border in Kebbi State, the border closure has resulted in unimaginable loss for the farmers, who can no longer access their farms to harvest their crops, thereby, resulting to rise in the prices of foodstuff in the local markets.
Investigation by BDSUNDAY shows a good number of these border communities inter-marry and share nearly everything in common including farming on each other’s lands.
Report has it that Alhassan Albaya Lolo, councilor representing Lolo Council Ward of Bagudo Local Government Area, Kebbi State recently said that Lolo, a border community, is bordered by Niger Republic on the river side and Benin Republic on the other single access road.
“Lolo people and people from these border communities from Benin Republic, are the same tribe, and speak the same language called Dendi. My mother is from Benin Republic while my father is a Nigerian. The border closure is a big blow on our farmers because everybody here is a farmer, with a large percentage of the people having their farms in Benin Republic, just as they also have theirs in Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, the situation has made it near impossible for these locals to go to their farms, hence, the certainty of looming food scarcity. “Villages in Benin Republic such as Iluwa, Madakali, Kwa’ategi, Garu, Gada, Buzukali, Matavi that border Lolo, used to come here for medical attention. We go to the same markets. In some cases, it becomes difficult to differentiate the boundary between Benin Republic and Nigeria except for a mere culvert which stands as the boundary.”
Many Nigerians believed that the current scarcity of some of these smuggled food commodities in Nigerian market has shown that Nigerian farmers do not have the capacity to meet demand for these commodities.
Empirically, they say, it makes no economic sense for Nigeria to ban importation of things that are rarely produced locally, which explains why Benin Republic has being able to play the smart card of importing rice that are not consumed by them but are consumed by Nigerians.
BDSUNDAY understands that Benin Republic has some of the biggest importers of rice in West African sub-region. They import large number of made-in Thailand rice while the people of Benin Republic consume made-in France rice. This automatically makes Nigerian market the target for all the made-in Thailand rice that comes to Benin Republic.
On the other hand, many Nigerians have also expressed the difficulties in accessing locally produced rice and frozen as it has become increasingly difficult and expensive to buy the locally made ‘Ofada’ and other Nigerian rice brands. In some cases, one only gets the right prices for local rice through the dealers.
“What I eat is local rice. But recently, I have gone to all the markets in Alimosho looking for it to buy, all to no avail. The last derica cup my wife bought from Ikotun market was for N800 per one cup,” said a Lagos-based businessman, who gave his name as Sunday Ojo.
He said that besides, hike in prices of rice, which has risen astronomically in the market since the inception of the border closure, BDSUNDAY also confirmed that supply cannot match demand if we depend only on Nigerian rice.
“Of course, it is an elementary Economics that price rises when demand is higher than supply. Again, we are confronted with the question of whether the much talked about surplus local production of the grains is not only on the pages of newspapers,” he questioned.
BDSUNDAY can recall that Hameed Ali, comptroller-general of NCS, recently said while on the spot assessment of the implementation and compliance of the ongoing border security drill that borders would remain closed until the countries sharing borders with Nigeria come to terms with the conditions laid down by the Nigerian government.
According to him, there is no specific timing for opening the borders, adding that Federal Government could no longer fold its arms and watch neighbouring countries flourishing at the detriment of Nigerian economy.
“If our neigbouring countries agree with us on the existing laws, then, we will sign and update the existing protocol of transit,” he said.
He however, disclosed that the border was closed to check the influx of unknown people into the country. “Most actors in the issue of insecurity that is bedeviling our country are not Nigerians, and because our borders are porous they come in, perpetrate their heinous acts and disappear. So, the idea is to ensure everyone coming in or going out of the country follow the laid down procedures,” he added.
Meanwhile, Customs in a statement signed by Joseph Attah, national public relations of NCS, said that as at 10 September 2019, that the team arrested 100 illegal migrants and recorded seizures that include: 8,360 bags of 50kg parboiled foreign rice; 122 bags of fertilizer; 77 vehicles; 781 drums filled with PMS as well as 16,371 empty 200 litres drums usually used for smuggling of PMS.
The statement further said the team also intercepted about 1,491 packs of assorted drugs; three outboard 40HP Engines; 13 Cotonu boats; 185 drums of groundnut oil; six trucks; 114 motorcycles and 117 suspects.
Attah said that setting up the joint security operation was part of government’s efforts to sustain the rigorous patrol along the national borderlines to better secure the borders, boost national economy and strengthen border security.
“Despite the seizure, we will continue to appeal to the patriotic spirit of all Nigerians, especially members of the business community to see the exercise as an opportunity to further create an environment for local businesses to thrive in the overall interest of national security and development,” he solicited.
AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE
