FG to Re-open Seme Land Border for Vehicle Importation

Joy Mmereole Okoli

Federal Government will soon reopen the seme land border for the importation of vehicles and other goods after years of the border closure.

This information was disclosed by the Director of Road Transport, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Ibrahim Musa when the ECOWAS Monitoring Team visited Seme-Krake Joint Border Post on Tuesday, June 21, 2023.

According to him, the planned reopening of the border is not unconnected with complaints by indigenes of the border communities as well as the effect on revenue collection by the Seme Border Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

He stated that during the last visit by the Minister of State for Transportation, freight forwarders operating at the Seme Border had made an appeal to the former Minister asking for the reactivation of the border and this request was granted by the Federal Executive Council (FEC)

The Director said that the FEC had promised to leave the approval on reopening the border to the new government to act on.

“I was here with the former Minister of State for Transportation and the Freight Forwarders pleaded that the border should be reactivated for free movement of goods and services.

The Minister made us prepare a memo to that effect. It was considered and sent to the government.

The Customs Area Controller (CAC), Compt Dera Nnadi said the service has noticed a reduction in its revenue since importation of vehicles was banned from the land borders.

“The Honorable Minister of Transportation, the immediate past one, 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, this is very cheering news” he stated.

Compt Nnadi while appreciating the Federal Ministry of Transportation for the ongoing rehabilitation of the highway, said the completion of the road will definitely improve trade.”

Nnadi also said that illegal checkpoints along the border corridors have been dismantled by customs, while the Border Control unit of the Nigerian Police has promised to do the same.

He urged the federal government to complete the highway from Lagos to Seme Border, saying the completion will grow trade and investment in the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor.

Comptroller Dera Nnadi maintained that the corridor is important for the growth of trade, investment, cultural diversity, and peace in West Africa and the whole of Africa.

Comptroller Nnadi who is also a Co-chair of the Joint Border Post “Abidjan-Lagos Corridor is an important corridor for trade among West African countries, a melting point where our people share culture and religion.

It is a very important place where we maintain relationships and peace with ourselves. It is important to keep the corridor alive. We appreciate ECOWAS for its contribution to the growth of business in the corridor.

Nnadi however called on Nigerian exporters/importers and other investors to take full advantage of the lift on the ban on export by the government and ensure that they obtain the necessary documents from the right authorities.