Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to implement the decision of the tripartite committee on the border closure.
The tripartite committee is made up of Nigeria, Benin, and Niger.
The president stated this on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020, while receiving Bashir Mamman Ifo, outgoing President of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), and his successor, Dr. George Nana Donkor, in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Femi Adesina, President Buhari said the partial border closure allowed the country to curtailed the importation of drugs and proliferation of small arms.
‘‘We have saved millions of dollars. We have realised that we don’t have to import rice. We have achieved food security. ‘‘We have curtailed the importation of drugs and proliferation of small arms which threaten our country,’’ the statement quoted the President as saying.
President Buhari thanked the outgoing ECOWAS Bank President for the improvements recorded in his eight-year tenure and urged his successor to build on those achievements.
The IMF, ECOWAS, and other international organisations have urged West African nations to quickly resolve issues around border closure.
Failure to resolve this, the International Monetary Fund said it will continue to have significant economic consequences on neighbouring nations.
In January 2020, President Buhari said the border closure was to strengthen the country’s security and economy and not to punish neighbouring countries.
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