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PDP rep asks Buhari to maintain border closure beyond 2 years

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The lawmaker representing Igboeze North/Udenu Federal Constituency, Simon Atigwe, has appealed to the Nigerian government to sustain the closure of the nations land borders beyond two years.

Atigwe said the border closure was the best policy so far put in place by President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that an extension of the closure would enable Nigerians reap the benefits.

The lawmaker, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made this comment while speaking with newsmen on Sunday in Abuja.

He said that apart from helping to checkmate the influx of arms which fueled insecurity, it would compel Nigerians to go back to agriculture.

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“Personally, I think that is the best decision so far taken by the President as far as the economy of Nigeria is concerned.

“That is because you do not just allow your country to be flooded with goods from other countries, making your own citizens very lazy; making them consumers only and not producers.

“I think it does not help anybody saying that borders should be opened to importers anyhow while smuggling goes on uncontrolled.

“Apart from making us lazy, we are still losing income; we are losing revenue because all these people smuggling goods through road borders are not paying anything.

“But if things should be coming in through the ports like the airports and the seaports, then, there will be scrutiny of all the things coming in.

“Apart from the revenue, you also safeguard your people because these smugglers bring in arms and ammunition and all sorts of dangerous weapons that bandits are using,” he said.

The lawmaker said that he was in full support of closure of borders as it was for national interest. According to him, China was doing well, because it closed all its borders for 50 years or so.

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