The January 31, 2020, given as likely date for the reopening of the nation’s borders is not sacrosanct.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Colonel Hameed Ali( rtd) made the clarification on Monday in Abuja at the Third Inter-Ministerial meeting ahead of the Tripartite Anti-Smuggling Committee meeting to be held between Nigeria, Benin and Niger Republics.
In attendance were Colonel Ali, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola; the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, the host and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, the Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada, among others.
The Comptroller-General of Customs said the date could be extended if the nation’s neighbours failed to meet conditions set by Nigeria.
He said: “The issue of 31st January is an operational programme. What we do in operations like this is that you set time for logistics and other tactical requirements.
“So, the issue of 31st January is not a terminal date. If all these things are put together and we reach an agreement, we could even relax all these things before the 31st of January. So, it is not sacrosanct, but it is not a terminal date. We can also surpass January 31st and still hold on to what we are doing.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, however, maintained that member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), must abide by conditions set by Nigeria.
According to him: “One of the conditions was that goods imported primarily for the Nigerian market must be escorted directly from the port of member states directly into the Nigerian borders.”
Ambassador Onyeama said a meeting would be hosted in Abuja where the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would be sealed between his Ministry and his counterparts from the neighbouring states.
He said: “We have had a meeting under the directive of Mr President regarding the border measures that have been taken, the border drills that have been undertaken by Nigeria.
And of course, repercussions of those and the desire of Mr President that the issues that are being addressed that caused the drill to take place on our borders should be addressed as quickly as possible.
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“So, in this context, within the next two weeks, a tripartite committee is to be convened and hosted here in Nigeria comprising a delegation, a committee of Benin Republic, from Niger, and from Nigeria.
“So, each country will come with the heads of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Finance, the Customs, Immigration and NIA, the security segment. So, this meeting will take place within the next two weeks.”
“These conditions or conditionalities are as follows: That it is an absolute requirement of the Government of Nigeria that any imports coming through the land borders, our land borders, when those imports are transit in goods, that is to say when they are coming outside the ECOWAS region and imported into an ECOWAS member state, that those goods should retain their original packaging.
“There should be no modification whatsoever to the packaging on those goods imported into an ECOWAS member state destined for Nigeria. So, the original packaging and they must be escorted from the port directly to the entry point, designated entry point on Nigerian borders, so presented to Nigeria Customs, with the packaging intact and those goods escorted. This is an absolute precondition that will not be compromised.
“So, any transit in goods coming to this country than those transit countries, ECOWAS member states, must ensure that.”
He further insisted that goods produced by ECOWAS member states must show clear deference to the Rules of Origin.
“So, we have to avoid any possibility of dumping. So, if goods are produced in ECOWAS member states, those goods must be in majority produced in those countries or if they are coming from outside ECOWAS, the value addition made by an ECOWAS country must be over 30 per cent for it to be accepted within the framework of the Economic Trade Liberalisation Scheme that ECOWAS countries have to promote trade amongst ourselves.
“So, we will absolutely insist on the respect of the ECOWAS Rules of Origin, ensuring that they actually do come from within an ECOWAS member state in large part.”
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