During an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) meeting between Nigerian and Benin Republic officials, Ibrahim Musa, the Director of Road Transport in the Ministry of Transportation, announced that the Federal Government of Nigeria has given approval for the re-opening of the Seme land border to facilitate vehicle importation.
Musa explained that the decision was prompted by complaints raised by freight forwarders operating at the Seme border.
Musa stated, “When I was present with the former Minister of State for Transportation, the freight forwarders requested the reactivation of the border to enable the free movement of goods and services.
We prepared a memo on their behalf, which was subsequently considered and submitted to the government.”
Dera Nnadi, the Customs Area Controller of Seme Border Command, also expressed concern about the decline in revenue since the suspension of vehicle imports through land borders by the previous administration.
Nnadi revealed, “In response to our requests and those of stakeholders, the former Minister of Transportation pledged to present them to the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
One of these requests was the full reopening of this border. The Ministry has informed us that the memo has been written and adopted by FEC, and it will be passed on to the new government. We have been assured that all the requests have been accepted.”
With the approval for the re-opening of the Seme land border for vehicle importation, the government aims to address the concerns raised by freight forwarders and boost revenue generation in the region.
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