A Nigeria based civil society has thrown its weight behind the Godwin Emefiele-led Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for taking strong stance on the need to sustain the ongoing land border policy.
It said the policy was put in place to by government to reposition the nation’s economy and therefore described it as commendable.
The group, Social Integrity Network (SINET), in a statement issued on Wednesday by its National Coordinator, Mallam Ibrahim Issa, disclosed that the Federal Government should adopt a no-going back policy on the land border closure in order to fully achieve the benefits wholly.
Issa condemned some proponents of border re-opening adding that “the unity, growth and development of Nigeria remain sacrosanct beyond any individual gains aimed at subjecting us to slavery and perpetually underdeveloped.”
SINET noted “that the gains of the policy are numerous to mention but specifically, its impact on the socio-economic and security is unprecedented and manufacturers are now able to sell out the huge goods deposits in their warehouses.”
The group said, “We are happy to watch the CBN Governor live on Tuesday during the Monetary Policy Committee, (MPC) meeting held in Abuja. As a group representing over 700,000 Nigerians who are majorly employees in the
public and private sectors respectively, the position of Mr. Emefiele is in continuation of our aged-long plight and campaign against smuggling and importation of substandard commodities into on country.
“We are in total support of the position of all the stakeholders/investors who supported that the border closure should
continue. They have demonstrated high degrees of trust and love for Nigeria as a nation and by extension to the entire citizenry who are victims of the insurgency especially in the northeast. Also, more jobs would be created, collapsed industries are in the revival process while many new industries would spring up.”
The group further added that, “As the giant of Africa, it is an absurd for developed nations to build warehouses in our neighboring countries and paying them heavily for goods to be dumped therein and smuggled into our country with little or no returns to our nation. They are killing us and we are smiling, they are mortgaging the future of our generations yet unborn. If Malaysia and other emerging nations can make it, who says we cannot make it with consistency and sense of direction by our leaders?
“The CBN Governor, an astute financial expert has spoken and there is need to tour the path of national interest rather than playing the cards of some individuals who are the major beneficiaries of abnormality affecting our nation. Not only that, the Minister for Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed in company of some ministers and heads of agencies visited the Seme Border and also scored the border closure policy high.
“We shall continue to advice government to sustain the border closure or whatever is being done to make it easy to ensure that we use this opportunity to boost employment and also grow output, as well as keep our industries alive.
“Any upward price movement arising from the closure was reactionary and therefore temporary. Our farmers are back to farm, operators are back on their fields and industries are fully in operation and with this loan obligations to banks will be achieved by investors towards economic growth.”
The group therefore urged the Federal Government to begin to look inward towards embarking on dredging of pits to serve as barrier between Nigeria and her neighbors in order to curtail smuggling stressing that this will reduce the cost of erecting concrete walls or wire mesh.
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