The Minister of
Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, has stated that the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) supported Nigeria’s closure of its land borders because it
understood that the...
action was not punitive.
Addressing journalists
in Washington yesterday, Ahmed explained that the measure was intended
to restore Nigeria’s relationship with its neighbours, based on
commitments made.
She said that
President Muhammadu Buhari did not want to approve the closure because
he was mindful of the adverse effect it would have on the economies of
neighbours.
According to her,
there were several engagements between Nigeria and the neighbouring
countries toward securing compliance to the rules, “but things got
worse”.
“Of course, there will be economic impact on the side of our neighbours due to the border closure, that is a consequence of it.
“In a manner of
speaking, IMF supports the border closure that we have done because they
understand that the closure was not meant to be punitive.
“It was meant for us to restore our relationship with our neighbours back to the commitments that we made.
“The commitment that we have among these countries is that goods can come through their ports to Nigeria.
“They are supposed to
come in sealed containers escorted to Nigeria for the Nigeria Customs
Service to inspect the goods and charge them.
“But that is not what
is happening. They allow containers to be opened, and also allow goods
to be smuggled beyond the formal borders through several illegal
routes,’’ she explained.
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