Buhari had ordered the closure of Nigeria’s land borders to all imported goods in August 2019 declaring the time had come to end rampant smuggling across the porous frontiers.
“All goods, for now, are banned from being exported or imported through our land borders and that is to ensure that we have total control over what comes in,” Hameed Ali, comptroller-general of the Nigerian Customs Service told reporters in Abuja this week.
The closure has had a devastating effect on some of Nigeria’s neighbors like Benin Republic and Ghana, who have been a key exporter of foodstuffs to Africa’s most populous country.
The closure pushed up prices for staples such as rice at markets around Nigeria.
At the time of the closure, no timeline was given for its opening.
The closure however did not affect Nigeria’s oil exports, which are exported almost entirely via Nigeria’s ports and offshore oil platforms.
Nigeria relies heavily on imports to feed its booming population of some 200 million.
Unilateral border closures go against all commercial and freedom of movement treaties signed under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The closure has also cast a shadow over a historic free-trade agreement, signed by 54 out of 55 African countries, that reached a key operational threshold in July.
Nigeria, as well as Benin, had signed onto the pact on the eve of the landmark day- a move hailed as a crucial push towards ending the continent’s trade barriers.
However, following the uproar that was generated following the revelation that three conglomerates: Dangote Cement, BUA and another un-named company were allowed to resume exports across its land borders, for the first time in over ten months, efforts have been intensified to get the federal government to reopen its land borders.
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