The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mr. Adewale Adeniyi says President Bola Tinubu holds the authority to reopen the country’s borders.
Speaking on Saturday with the Kongolam border community in Mai’adua Local Government Area of Katsina State, Adeniyi addressed calls for border reopening.
He said discussions and consultations are ongoing on the matter.
The CG pledged the Service’s commitment to eliminating barriers hindering free trade in alignment with the current administration’s economic prosperity agenda.
“We are conscious of the concerns of the border communities, particularly with regard to the number of checkpoints and the closure of land borders.
“I assure you that our operations are always guided by law, and we only operate on delegated powers.
“We have communicated the concerns and complaints by residents of the border communities to the President and because he has listening ears he directed that we should release confiscated food items, on the condition that they will only be sold in the Nigerian markets,” he said.
Adeniyi, who also visited former President Muhammad Buhari and the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Umar Faruq-Umar, disclosed that the Service is collaborating with the Police and other sister agencies to address obstacles militating against free trade in the border areas.
“We know that there are markets around our borders, and we know that not all of them are targeted at taking goods across the borders.
“We will continue to monitor and ensure that food produced in Nigeria remains and is consumed in Nigeria.
“This is because we are in a period of national emergency that has to do with food insufficiency.
“And that is why we must collectively work together to assist the government to enforce the various laws prohibiting exportation of food items at this time,” he stressed. (vitalnewsngr.com)
