Reps reject motion seeking reopening of remaining borders in Nigeria

The House of Representatives on Wednesday shut down a motion seeking the reopening of the Idiroko border and other land borders in the country.

This followed a motion presented by Kolawole Lawal at the plenary in Abuja.

Lawal had moved a motion on the urgent reopening of the country’s land borders.

He said before the closure, the Nigeria-Benin Republic border at Idiroko in Ogun State generated over N6 billion annually for the country.

The lawmaker recalled that four land borders – Seme, Illela, Maigatari, and Mfun had been reopened since last year while others remained closed.

According to him, residents of Idiroko had witnessed a massive economic downturn since the closure of the borders in August 2019.

READ ALSO: Reps ask Nigerian govt to lift ban on sale of fuel at border communities

Lawal said: “And considering the growing agitation as a result of the closure of borders, many people, particularly youths, may resort to aggravated crimes to survive as the country continues to lose huge revenue.

However, most of the lawmakers, who spoke on the motion, opposed the reopening of the borders.

A member of the House from Lagos, Rotimi Agunsoye, said it was important for the Federal Government to ensure the borders remained close in order to solve the problem of insecurity in Nigeria.

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Wase, said the closure of the borders had strengthened the fight against the proliferation of arms in the country.

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