The representative for the Badagry Constituency in the House of Representatives, Mr. Sesi Whingah, has declared that the federal government intends to promptly reopen Nigeria’s land borders to trade and commerce.
 Whingah gave this guarantee at his office’s Badagry Stakeholders and Youth Engagement event on Saturday.
The member claims that efforts are being made by the government to strengthen domestic income generating.
“This is a policy that we believe needs to be done and will lead to good.”
 “The current administration plans to open borders for business; I am aware that this will have an impact on our earnings. I am aware of the struggles that my constituents face,” he added.
Regarding barriers, Whingah underlined that the multiple checkpoints along the Lagos-Badagry Motorway are impeding growth in Badagry.
“I doubt if we can achieve any development if we have people stopping and discouraging tourists and investors from coming to this corridor.“
 “You cannot go through the stress of these multiple checkpoints as a tourist and you would want to come back to this place.“
 “The security agencies need to start thinking about employing technology to combat this. A single drone can secure and monitor this axis,” he noted.
Background
The Federal Government stated in October 2019 that all land borders will be closed, prohibiting the entry and exit of commodities into and out of the nation, both legally and illegally.
The government’s efforts to stop the smuggling of illegal weapons, food, and agricultural products in a move to boost domestic production included closing the borders.
In the meantime, four land crossings were immediately reopened in December 2020 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, more than a year after they had all been closed.
However, the government continues to forbid the importing of food products across these different geographical boundaries.
What to note
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria is currently experiencing the worst crisis related to the cost of living in decades, with food inflation skyrocketing by about 39%.
The uptick A lot of young Nigerians have protested against the high cost of living as a result of social unrest triggered by prices of staple foods.
To counteract the impact of this high expense of living, the federal government responded by directing the temporary suspension of import duties on a few specified food goods.
To mitigate the supply gap and lower food prices, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security authorised a 150-day period during which certain staple items may be imported into the nation without any duties or tariffs.
