Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, has enjoined the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal government never to consider the closure of land borders again as means of addressing security challenges confronting the country, arguing that the closure did not prevent criminal elements from gaining access into the country but rather inflicted pain on ordinary Nigerians.
Iba Adams gave the counsel while speaking during the 2nd Edition of Christmas Carol organized by the office of the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, which took place at Agidingbi area of Lagos State.
This was just as he charged the Federal Government to allow the importation of items that could help reduce the suffering of ordinary citizens now that the country’s borders had been reopened, saying the need to do this arose because prices of goods and other consumable items usually moved up during festive periods, which was what obtained currently.
“At the moment, prices of goods and other consumable items usually move up during festive periods. It is the Nigerian culture to increase the prices of products, especially, during festive periods.
“But now that our borders have been reopened, there is a need for the government to allow the importation of items that can help in reducing the suffering of ordinary citizens,” he said.
Adams, while noting that he would not encourage importation, argued that the country’s borders should not be closed, saying what the government needed to do was to prevent items and goods that it did not want from coming into the country.
According to him, shutting the borders had inflicted pains on the masses that make little money every day to sustain themselves and their families, saying closing the borders totally had led to huge loss of revenues to the nation and accounted partly for the recession the country was into currently, even as he appealed to President Buhari not to repeat such mistakes again.
“I am not a person that will encourage importation but at the same time, you must not close your borders. Any items you do not want in your country, you have the right to stop it from coming into the country but not to close borders.
“By closing the borders, you have inflicted pains on the masses that make little money every day to sustain themselves and their families. By closing it totally, we have lost a lot of money. So I will appeal to Mr President that such a mistake should never happen again in our history,” he said.
“We all see the kind of pains and hardship we are into now. A bag of rice we normally bought at N13,000 was sold for 30,000 and this is a country that the level of manufacturing is low because of lack of regular supply of electricity and lack of stable policy, as well as the kind of poor image that we have that would not encourage investors to come to our country and invest.
“I believe that part of the reasons that led to our recession is the closure of the borders because Customs makes up to N1tn every year and the larger chunk of the money comes from land borders. So for you to close such borders you have lost a lot. In my own economic analysis, we could have lost about N800bn that is for the period of one year and four months when the borders were closed,” he added.
The Aare said all that the Federal Government needed to do instead was to police the borders very well to prevent unwanted goods from entry into the country, pointing out that the government should reinforce the security if found not to be enough.
“If the security agencies at the borders are not enough, the government has the right to inject more security personnel to support those on ground,” he said.
Speaking on the reason behind the Carol, Adams said that it was a reflection of his liberality in the three religions, recalling that the gathering started last year and this year event being the second edition.
“We started this carol last year and this is the second edition. We are trying to reflect being liberal in the three religions because as Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, I must respect the three main religions within Yorubaland and Nigeria.
“God is just using us as tools to fulfil His plan and purposes as it had been ordained by the Most High God. It is never a new thing for me to organise Christmas carol because, from my humble beginning, I grew up to learn about religious liberalism. And by virtue of my position, I always embrace personal and religious freedom using it as a platform to ensure lasting peace.
He prayed that all the good things people had lost during Covid-19 will be given back to them in abundance by the grace of God.
Iba Adams, speaking further, expressed worries about the security situation in the country, urging the citizens to raise their voices to God for total liberation, even as he declared that restructuring still remained the best solution to the myriads of problems facing the nation.
“As we hope in God for our total liberation as a nation, we need to continue to raise our voices and pray to God for the fulfilment of this cause. No matter what anybody says, restructuring still remains the best solution to the myriads of problems we face in the country.
“Nigerians are worried about the various security challenges with much seriousness. Reports of various attacks, kidnapping, and banditry in the country are still on the increase. The Kankara abduction recently was just one of the stories of our poor security situation in the country,” he said.
Iba Adams, however, said that the government owed it a duty to provide effective security for Nigerians, especially, people that would be on holidays and vacations during this festive period, urging that churches and recreational centres and facilities should be well secured.
In his sermon, the Chairman, Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN), Lagos State chapter, His Lordship, Rt. Rev. Olafimihan Adekoya, urged Nigerian leaders to serve the country in such a way that they would be remembered for good.
The cleric, while noting that their present position was not permanent and whatever they do today would become history in the nearest future, further urged them to humble themselves before God and make peace with one another, recalling that “Jesus Christ came to this world, made the greatest sacrifice with His death for us to live and share the glory of God as we are doing here today.”
This was just as he noted that some of the leaders forget where they were coming from and think that their present position was permanent.
“Let’s humble ourselves before God, some of our leaders forget where they are coming from and think that their present position is permanent. Why not do something that will make your name to be written in the history book for good.
“We need to love one another just the same way God love us. During this season of our Christ, if you have shared with those that didn’t have, make peace with one another and live in harmony with everyone.
“It is our duty to share this great moment of joy and uphold the spirit of the season. As Christians, it is our duties also to show love and compassion for others, especially the poor. Jesus Christ came to this world, made the greatest sacrifice with His death for us to live and share the glory of God as we are doing here today,” Adekoya stated.
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