The call for border walls

AS part of measures to stem the tide of insecurity and the proliferation of arms and ammunition in the country, the Nigerian Navy recently canvassed the immediate erection of Berlin-like walls between Nigeria and the neighbouring countries. Represented by Commodore Jemila Abubakar Sadiq, the Navy made the recommendation while participating in a public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence on four security-related bills in Abuja. Revealing that most of Nigeria’s neighbours lacked basic armouries with which to store and keep a proper record of the arms donated to them by foreign governments or regional bodies to fight terrorism, Commodore Sadiq harped on the necessity for Nigeria to insist that those countries enact laws to govern the handling of these arms and ammunition or build armouries.

She added: “We should build walls between us and these neighbouring countries, or we should have a serious surveillance or else we will not see peace in this country, I am telling you this. I have been in that area for years, so I know what is happening.” In addition, Commodore Sadiq canvassed the removal of the Foreign Affairs Ministry from the board of the proposed National Com­mission for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, and replace it with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Although the Nigerian Navy was later to issue a statement indicating that some of Commodore Sadiq’s comments were made in personal capacity, there is no doubt that the concerns she raised were rooted in reality.

It is indeed hard to fault the call for border walls along the country’s borders, particularly in the face of the ceaseless economic haemorrhage and security tragedies suffered by the country through defective policing of those borders. Almost on a daily basis, criminals from the neighbouring countries invade Nigeria with arms and ammunition, perpetrating the most heinous crimes. Thousands of Nigerians have been dispatched to their early graves by these marauders who have, in league with local collaborators, committed acts of genocide across the country. To say the very least, there is nothing extraordinary or strange about the calls for border walls given their use in controlling the entry and exit of goods and persons all over the world. Over 65 countries have either completed border walls or have them under construction. What is extraordinarily benumbing is the Federal Government’s refusal to heed wise counsel.

In December 2017, we argued, with facts and figures, that it was time for the country to build border walls. Writing against the backdrop of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s declaration that smuggling remained a “serious threat” to the Nigerian economy, we deplored the fact that from textiles to rice and poultry products, Nigeria had become a dumping ground for all manner of cheap and  substandard products, with severe consequences for local industries that were struggling to survive. As we noted, illegal cross-border activities and other organised trans-border crimes were enabled by ineffective policing of the country’s borders. In the face of the thriving  illegal activities despite the 19 checkpoints mounted by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the police, we argued that Nigeria needed to build walls, beginning from the Republic of Benin and touching other neighbouring countries, with the walls fitted with appropriate technology and border control systems to prevent the smuggling of goods and illegal movement of persons.

We have not been persuaded to change our view that building the walls would not violate the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) protocol, as there would be gates for easy entry and exit for legal trade in goods and services and free movement of persons. Nigeria’s land borders are about 4477 kilometres and we insist that building walls across this length of land would be insignificant compared to the value that will be added to trade and taxes arising from the effective border control. To be sure, all of the country’s borders need walls, not just the southern borders. The country cannot afford to keep its borders permanently open, as it were, inviting criminality from trans-border outlaws. Even if the government is unable to erect physical walls on all the borders, it must emplace virtual walls targeted at deterring external aggression. There are simply no two ways about it.

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