Buhari: 'I'll be reopening the borders as soon as possible'
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President Muhammadu Buhari told state governors during a meeting on Tuesday, December 8, 2020, that the nation's land borders which have been shut since August 2019, in a bid to curb smuggling and stimulate local production, will be reopened as soon as possible.
The border closure has been heavily criticized in business circles as a daft piece of protectionist policy; and has been pin-pointed as a contributory factor to inflation, food shortages and a further weakening of the nation's currency.
"In my meeting with state governors today, I explained that the closure of Nigeria’s land borders was partly an attempt to control the smuggling in of weapons and drugs.
"Now that the message has sunk in with our neighbours, we’re looking into reopening the borders as soon as possible," the president said in a tweet.
The meeting with the governors was held amid the worrying spate of insecurity and banditry in the land.
The president will address a joint session of parliament on Thursday, December 10 with the subject of security on the front burner.
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