In a significant move to boost trade and address concerns raised by freight forwarders, the Federal Government of Nigeria has granted approval for the reopening of the Seme land border specifically for the importation of vehicles.
The announcement was made by Ibrahim Musa, the Director of Road Transport in the Ministry of Transportation, during a recent meeting organized by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) between Nigerian and Benin Republic officials.
Musa highlighted that the decision to reopen the border was prompted by the pleas of freight forwarders who had expressed the urgent need for the resumption of cross-border movements of goods and services.
He emphasized that the former Minister of State for Transportation had taken these concerns seriously, leading to the preparation of a memorandum outlining the necessity for reactivating the Seme border. Subsequently, the memorandum was carefully considered and forwarded to the government for deliberation.
He 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.”
Echoing the sentiments expressed by Musa, Dera Nnadi, the Customs Area Controller of the Seme Border Command, also addressed the audience at the event.
Nnadi voiced concerns over the declining revenue observed by the Customs Service since the previous administration suspended the importation of vehicles through land borders.
Nnadi revealed that the former Minister of Transportation had taken note of the requests made by stakeholders and the Customs Service, assuring them that these matters would be presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for discussion.
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.”
The reopening of the Seme land border for vehicle imports marks a positive development for the Nigerian economy and the facilitation of regional trade.
The decision is expected to alleviate the challenges faced by freight forwarders and improve revenue generation for the Customs Service.
With the resumption of cross-border movements of goods and services, both Nigeria and the Benin Republic can anticipate increased economic activity and strengthened ties between the two neighboring countries.
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