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Published 14 January 2021
To traders and businessmen on the Illela/Kwanni border route in Nigeria and Niger Republic respectively, the directive to reopen the land border is a soothing balm after 16 months. However, the three weeks it took the Nigeria Customs Service to open it felt like eternity, ADENIYI OLUGBEMI writes
In another policy somersault, the Federal Executive Council, at its meeting on December 16, 2020, announced the reopening of four land borders closed since August 21, 2019. These are Seme (Lagos), Illela (Sokoto), Maigatari (Jigawa) and Mfun (Cross River.
As a face-saving measure, the FEC said it “approved the reopening of four land borders following the submission of a report by the committee to examine the implication of the closure, among others.”