IN August 2019, the Federal Government ordered that all land borders be closed, which has raised mixed feelings from all stakeholders.
While some applauded the implementation of the FG’s decision on the border closure, some Nigerians have condemned it for what they called its “harsh impact” on the economy.
Speaking with some of the traders and buyers at Oritamerin market in Ibadan, there were lots of positive and negative reactions.
In her words, Sekinat Fakorede, a trader, was of the opinion that the closure of the border is affecting a lot of businesses.
“The border closure is really affecting us because the FG didn’t announce to us earlier. I have more than 5,000 bags of rice, kegs of oil, and packs of sugar trapped at Cotonou.
“I appeal to the Federal Government to open the borders so I can pack my goods. We don’t have enough resources in Nigeria to feed everyone, the rice we are asked to eat has a lot of stones and people don’t want to buy because of appendicitis,” she said.
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Also speaking, Olabisi Olalekan, a trader, was of the opinion that the border closure is one way to move the country forward.
“Initially, when the border was closed, my business was going smoothly and I was very happy but now these Hausa men are making it very difficult for me to sell. They bring rice with so many stones from their village and go from street to the other using their truck to sell to people at a cheaper rate.
“This has hindered a lot of people from coming to the market to buy goods. The company I buy from now sells at a very high rate compared with the foreign rice I buy before the border closure. I believe this development is what we need in Nigeria because we don’t produce anything here, we import everything,” she said.
Dupe Animashaun, another trader, says the border closure is a bold step in the right direction for Nigerians. She also appealed to the government to fix bad roads so that it will be easy to transport goods.
“It is only lazy people that are complaining about the border closure. I buy my rice from Niger State and it is really good. The local rice is really common in the North, the only issue we face is the bad roads.
“We risk our lives to bring goods here. I appeal to the Federal Government to assist the farmers to get the equipment they need and also fix roads,” she said.
In his opinion, a consumer, Sulaiman Abudusalam, said that locally made products are not sufficient and are very expensive.
“We don’t have enough locally made products in this country, why will the government ban foreign goods? Some of the goods we buy now are very expensive. For example, the battery we use for torchlight was N70 before now it is over N250. I hope the Federal Government resolves this soon because it is really affecting the masses,” he said.
Also reacting, Owolabi Ademola said the border closure is affecting the economy of the country.
“The chicken and rice I buy now are very bad. The rice is tasteless and always soggy. This country lacks the capacity to produce locally made products that will meet the requirement or yearning of the people,” he said.
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