The Federal Government of Nigeria has authorised reopening the Seme border to automobile imports.
In August 2019, the Seme border was closed.
Following complaints from local goods forwarders, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) meeting between Nigerian and Beninese officials led to the decision to reopen the border, according to Ibrahim Musa, director of road transport in the Ministry of Transportation, who announced on Wednesday, 21 June.
“I was here with the former Minister of State for Transportation when the Freight Forwarders begged for the border to be reactivated for the free flow of goods and services,” Musa recalled.
“The former minister made us prepare a memo to that effect. It was considered and sent to the government.”
Dera Nnadi, the Customs Area Controller for Seme Border Command, added that revenue for the service has declined since the outlawing of automobile imports from land borders.
Nnadi said; “The former Minister of Transportation, responding to some of our requests and from the stakeholders, promised to take them to the Federal Executive Council, FEC, one of them is how to open this border fully.
“The Ministry has informed us that the memo has been written to FEC and it was adopted and that it would be given to the new government, he assured us that all the requests were adopted.”
