Closure of borders in S/West suspicious — Gani Adams

THE Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Chief Gani Adams, has described the continued closure of Nigerian borders in
the south-western part of the the country as suspicious, allegingthat borders in the northern part of the country are open
and operational.

Adams made the statement on Friday in Badagry, Lagos State, at the grand finale of the 2019 edition of the annual
Olokun Festival. Chief Gani Adams, in picking holes in the decision of the Federal Government on the border closure, alleged that borders in the northern part of the country “still operate conveniently without anybody blinking an eye,” just as he raised the alarm that the continued closure of the borders in the South “portends a grave danger to us as a people because of the economic implications.”

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But Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at a separate forum, also on Friday, reiterated the determination of the Federal Government to maintain the closure of the country’s borders, saying the move was aimed at getting the neighbouring countries to take seriously, the question of policing the borders.

The vice president, in Benin City, Edo State, at a town hall meeting as part of the ongoing National Festival of Arts and
Culture, justified the continued closure of the borders, insisting that it was to ensure that farmers in Nigeria were prosperous.

He said other prosperous nations did not allow any country to bring goods into their domains but opted to grow what they eat. The vice president said smuggling was bad for the economy as it discourages local production and does
not in any way allow the country’s farmers have access to market.

He said: “Part of the reasons for shutting the borders is the smuggling that has been going on. If we continue to allow
the Chinese and others to continue to bring in all those things, we will kill farming completely and most of our people will not be employed.

“There may be some pain in other to gain. The countries of the world that are prosperous didn’t allow anybody to bring
in anything to their country.

They made sure they grew what they eat. I can assure you that very soon, you will see a great deal of progress.
You will see more of our own commodities coming into the markets. If we allow our own people grow these things, our
people will prosper. The only way our people can prosper is if we let them use the opportunity that they have such
as farming, fishing and others.

“We are going to make sure that commodities are cheaper. We must bear in mind that the reason today some
commodities are expensive is because we stopped smuggling. We have to encourage our local farmers so that our
local farmers can prosper.”

Prof. Osibanjo also commended the Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, for seeking to reposition the state
as a foremost destination for investment and tourism.

He said Edo State was blazing the trail in the direction of diversifying the country’s economy and moving the
nation in the direction of revenue beyond oil.  “Tourism is one sector which has untold potential for growth.
Edo State is blazing the trail in this direction. By showcasing its rich heritage, Edo State will attract global attention for all of the right reasons.

“It is apt that the Edo State government is pursuing a cultural agenda that include the recovery of the lost treasures
of the Bénin Kingdom from allof the places they were taken to across the world.

“The invasion of the Bénin  Kingdom would have ended a lesser civilisation instead the royal dynasty survived and
the legacy of Benin endured not only through the lineage of the noble royal houses but also in the evident resilience of the people.”

Governor Obaseki said his administration was committed to leveraging on the state’s cultural capital to drive investment to the tourism sector.

He said tourism was the  pillar of his administration’s agenda and the next level was to translate these cultural assets
into a force that attracts international tourists’ traffic. The Aare Ona Kakanfo, Adams, at the Badagry event, also decried what he called the long years of neglect of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, describing the road as a death trap.

“The roads leading to the ancient town and its environs are in a deplorable state and nobody even cares. For several
years, Badagry had beenabandoned with no facilities. I have said it several times that these roads are bad.

“The road [Lagos-Badagry Expressway] has become a death trap for commuters plying the road daily. For instance, travelling between Badagry and Mile 2 has always been an unpleasant experience,” Adams said.

He reiterated his call on government at all levels to develop the country’s tourism potentialities.  “The value and chain of
Nigeria’s tourism economy are obviously unprecedented, from hotel accommodation and restaurant to destination
management, packaging of carnivals to festivals and cultural promotions, among other opportunities of using the tourism sector to create jobs for our teeming youths.

“Therefore, I am making a clarion call to all Yoruba sons and daughters to continually promote the policy thrust and
development agenda of the Olokun Festival Foundation. “Our governors should provide an enabling environment
for the creation of a bursting tourism sector that will see the South West states becoming the nation’s destination
of choice and ensure the full exploration of our mineral resources for wealth creation,” Adams said.