BREAKING: Buhari orders reopening of four land borders

 

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the opening of four land borders.

The borders are Seme in Lagos, Illela in Sokoto, Maigatari in Jigawa and Mfun in Cross River.

 

At the end of the federal executive council (FEC) meeting, Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance,  said the president has directed that the borders should be reopened from December 31, 2020.

 

Nigeria, the largest economy and the most prosperous of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), last August closed its land borders over the proliferation of illegal importation of drugs, small arms and agricultural products into Nigeria from neighbouring West African countries.

 

But at a meeting with governors last week, Buhari said the borders would be reopened since the closure had yielded results.

 

“Now that the message has sunk in with our neighbours, we are looking into reopening the borders as soon as possible,” he had said.

 

Farmers in the country had pleaded with the federal government not to reopen the border which they said would affect them negatively.