Nigerian communities lament over border closure

We don’t have access to our families, farms – Kebbi communities Despite closure, smuggling activities persist   There have been calls from Nigerians for a review of Federal Government’s decision to close various land borders in the country. Following the closure, some border communities have narrated harsh economic conditions. Our correspondents who visited some border […]

• We don’t have access to our families, farms – Kebbi communities
• Despite closure, smuggling activities persist

 

There have been calls from Nigerians for a review of Federal Government’s decision to close various land borders in the country. Following the closure, some border communities have narrated harsh economic conditions. Our correspondents who visited some border towns report that the action of the task force constituted for this assignment has taken a toll on the economic situation and living condition of border communities. The Federal Government recently ordered the closure of all Nigerian land borders to prevent smuggling of illegal items like rice, vehicles, ammunition, among others.

In Kebbi State, communities are groaning under the economic hardship caused by the continued border closure. At Lolo, Dole-Kaina, Kamba and Bachaka , residents have continued to lament over the hardship they are experiencing.

At Lolo in Bagudo Local Government Area, locals said they had been denied access to their families who couldn’t return home from Niger and Benin Republic, where they were either farming or trading. They also complained that they could not go to their farms located in communities in neighbouring Benin and Niger Republic.

In the wake of the border closure, marriage ceremonies between some Kebbi indigenes at Lolo and those in Niger and Benin Republic were almost made impossible. Those who had fixed dates for their marriages could only do so weeks after by going through River Niger, which links Nigeria and the two countries in parts of the communities.

Monarchs want closure reviewed 

In Kwara State, when our correspondent visited the border communities of Lolo, Kamba and Dole-Kaina, some locals, particularly farmers and cross border traders, lamented the economic hardship they presently face.

Speaking to our correspondent, the district head of Lolo, Alhaji Muhammed Salah, said the situation was becoming unbearable for his people, who are predominantly farmers and cross border traders.

He said, “As you are aware, our people are predominantly farmers and traders shuttling between Benin and Niger Republic for their daily businesses. Since they closed the borders, things have become very difficult here. Many of our people who live and are married to Niger and Benin Republic indigenes cannot return home to their families. Those who have farms in Benin and Niger Republic cannot go there. They cannot harvest their rice, millet and maize; hence the farm produce that is supposed to have been harvested are now rotting away.

“We have cultural and economic ties with Benin and Niger people. They come here to farm and trade and so do we. We have intra-marriages with them.”

When Daily Trust on Sunday visited Lolo, it was observed that the once busy border entry points, where several trucks loaded with goods from Benin and Niger Republics usually parked, were without any vehicle or the usual busy cross border businessmen and women. Only Customs, Immigration, Army, Police and other security personnel were positioned in different areas of the border.

Lolo district in Bagudo Local Government Area of Kebbi State is the only community that borders Benin and Niger Republic. Because of its trans-border economic activities, the Federal Government, last year, started an inland container depot project in the border town.  Since the border closure, economic activities in the ever-busy border town have been hindered.

A community leader in the area, Muhammed Lolo, said that over 100 trucks from Benin and Niger entered the community on a daily basis before the border was closed. “The trucks were usually offloaded at that entry point, but we don’t see them again since they closed the borders. You can imagine what our people, whose livelihood depends, on this are going through now,” he said.

The Kamba Sunday border market, where Nigeriens and other nationals usually assembled to trade rice and other commodities, was near empty due to the absence of the people who usually come to the market in droves. It was the same situation at Dole-Kaina border and Bachaka in Kangiwa areas.

A farmer at Lolo, Danladi Lolo, told Daily Trust on Sunday that rice farmers and other crop growers in the area preferred to farm in Benin and Niger Republic because crops do well on their soil. He said that since they closed the borders, many of them had remained idle and could not get to their farms located in Benin and Niger Republic communities. He added that they have been living from hand to mouth and that food prices were rising by the day. He, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government to review its decision.

Our correspondent in Kwara reports that the northern part of the state is the most hit by this closure. The communities there claimed neglect over the years as they have not enjoyed any government presence.

Speaking to our correspondent, the Emir of Gwanara , Alhaji Sabi Idris Kotokotogi, said the Federal Government’s decision to close the land borders was having an adverse effect on the communities.

“All activities at the border are in comatose and prices of petrol and other commodities have increased. The border communities are not as happy as it was.

“The authorities see every petrol tank coming here as smuggled, which isn’t true. If the price of petrol goes up, the prices of everything else follow suit. Presently, petrol is being sold at N400 per litre. For how long can a poor community like mine continue to bear such hardship?” the Emir asked.

He noted that not everyone living in the border communities was smugglers, adding that everyone is being affected in one way or another.

But for many, the closure is a prayer answered. Farmers in Gwanara said smuggling activities had been affecting farming in their area in recent times. The chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Baruten branch, Malam Ahmed O. Aluma, expressed satisfaction over the closure, saying it is a good and welcome idea.

“I retired 31 years ago from the civil service and now into full-time farming. I invest a lot in planting on my farm, but in the end, it is a failure, in the sense that the sale of produce is not always commensurate to the stress put into farming and harvesting. This is because smuggled goods like rice enter the country and this affects farmers adversely. We are doing so much on our farms but getting nothing in return for our hard work. When the people managing the Anchor Borrower scheme lends us money they request a specific number of tonnes for a specific number of hectares. At the end of the day, you get less. Even if you get the accurate request, the price you will sell it won’t reflect the loan you collected. So for this simple reason, farmers are happy with the development,’’ he said.

Although the secretary to the Gwanara Emirate Council, Alhaji Musa Woruyo, commended the effort of the Federal Government in securing the borders, he said the action was affecting the people, especially the downtrodden.

Asked if there were issues of human rights abuses by the task force, Woruyo said there was none,  adding that the team has been supportive as long as you don’t have any contraband items.

For the Emir of Yashikira, Alhaji Umar Usman Sariki, the closure is affecting them both negatively and positively.

“The closure has affected the essential services we access across the border. We depend on Liki and Paraku for our health services, mostly because we don’t have functional hospitals here, up to Ilesha Baruba . The hospital here is not up to the task. Our socio-cultural interaction has also been affected because drummers and entertainers come from the Benin Republic whenever we are celebrating to entertain us,’’ he said.

The Emir of Okuta, Alhaji Idris Sero, who shared a similar experience with the other monarchs, said the people of Kwara North in Baruten were of the same tribe with the people of the northern part of Benin Republic and their interaction had been greatly affected.

“We are closer to Benin Republic than Nigeria, and it is cheaper to access essential services from there than in Nigeria. The distance we cover to access health services in Benin Republic is shorter than going to the closest town in Nigeria,” the emir said.

A motorcyclist at Bukuro border, Adamu Aliyu, said business had been dull for them because they thrive on moving passengers in and around the border.

He said, “We used to charge passengers N2,000 from Bukuro to Gwanara, but now it is N3,000. The fare to Shaki was N4,000 but now it is N6,000.”

Members of the task force at the borders were seen turning people back, while those moving items like charcoal, yam flour, yam, grains and other farm produce were made to offload them to check.

However, it is a different tale in other border communities as it is still business as usual despite the closure. Daily Trust on Sunday observed that smuggling activities still persist at the Lagos-Cotonou border as smugglers have now taken to waterways to ferry in bags of foreign rice.

Even though the border closure does not restrict the movement of travellers with valid documents, those involved in smuggling activities cross on foot through the J-5 taxi park to a place known as Frozen Turkey Village, a small shanty border community in Benin Republic, where frozen poultry products are stock-piled. It was learnt that from here, smugglers travel on commercial motorcycles to Cotonou to do business.

The return trip, according to one of the traders who pleaded anonymity, is more difficult as they try as much as possible to beat checkpoints, up to Pillar 19.

It was also learnt that from the J-5 park, traders travel on motorcycles to the beach side, a short distance to Gbaji checkpoint. Traders board wooden boats from the beach side at a fee of N100 per passenger into Badagry. Here, according to those who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the journey becomes more difficult as soldiers man their checkpoints at a distance of 200 metres apart.

Explaining why the prices of goods have gone up, one of the traders said, “The hike in the prices of commodities is as a result of payments at checkpoints.”

Ironically, while commercial activities have dropped to over 70 per cent on the Nigerian side, traders are still seen hawking their goods in Benin Republic.

Similarly, due to the border closure, the CFA has crashed against the Naira at the black market, trading at 10,000 CFA to N5,850. Our correspondent, who was at Seme border, learnt from some local bureau de change operators that before the closure of the border, 10,000 CFA was sold at the rate of N6,000.

Traders and residents at Seme border told Daily Trust on Sunday that the prices of some commodities still witnessed a slight decrease at the Benin Republic side of the border while the reverse is the case in Nigeria. For example, the price of a 50kg bag of rice, which sold between N10,000 and N11,500, now costs N8,000 and N9,500, depending on the brand.

But the reverse is the case in Nigeria as investigation showed that whereas rice smuggling through the land borders has reduced, it has forced the market price of the commodity to increase from N18,000 or N19,000 to N25,000 per bag.

Consequently, smuggling through the waterways became enticing as smugglers understand that the only force they have to contend with is the Nigerian Navy, whose primary and secondary concerns are the prevention of crude oil theft and seizure of adulterated diesel, instead of rice smuggling.

Some economists and financial experts have said that local currency may depreciate further in the coming months if the nation’s borders remain closed beyond the stipulated 28 days.

According to a bureau de change source, currency traders were taken unawares by the new development. One of the operators, popularly known as BCB, said1,000 CFA note was sold at the rate of N600 before the closure in August, a difference of N20.

“This rate can change at any moment, depending on the demand for CFA by travellers. They are the determining factor. Our currency changes from time to time, depending on demand and supply. Honestly, the business has witnessed a downward slide since the closure of the border,” he added.

Also, prices of foodstuffs and other commodities have increased in Badagry and adjoining communities. Many Nigerians who do trans-border business have been experiencing difficulties in carrying out their trade. Our correspondent learnt that this has forced them to cut their demand, even as they increased the prices of their little stocks.

The worst-hit are residents of border communities where prices of foodstuffs and other commodities have soared. In some border communities in Ogun State, petrol is sold at N350 per litre instead of the government-regulated price of N145.

The situation is, however, different in Kano’s famous Tashar Kuka Motor Park, which serves as the departure centre for travellers to the Niger Republic. Our correspondent observed that the number of travellers to Niger has reduced and many drivers have changed their routes.

According to Malam Isa Hayatu, a driver at the park, travellers to the Niger Republic must possess a document or valid identification. He added that based on the new regulation, many travellers have chosen to remain where they are because they have no papers.

Another commercial driver, Comrade Bala Sani, revealed that the business of transportation had suffered a serious setback as most of their passengers do not posses identification papers. “Presently, a greater percentage of our passengers are students studying at Maryam Abacha American University, Niger (MAAUN). As you can see, many drivers have changed their routes,” he said.

It was further gathered that business at the Singer Commodity Market has been low since the border closure. According to a businessman in the market, Alhaji Abdulrahman Musa, on normal days, especially Wednesdays, more than 10 trucks loaded with various commodities leave the market for the Niger Republic, but with the closure of the border, business at the market is just crawling to a halt.

“We are virtually doing nothing these days. As you can see, activities are not as they are supposed to be. This border closure has affected our business; and not only in this market, everywhere you go you will find out that the same thing applies because the Niger Republic is one of our major patronizers,” he revealed.

At Ikom, business thrives at night

In Cross River State, the closure of the Nigerian land border has compounded the difficulties faced by local traders. The situation has also affected nearby towns in the state. To remain in business, the traders, who used to have free passage to and from Cameroon, have resorted to moving their goods at night, allegedly with the strong connivance of law enforcement agencies.

For instance, Mr Joseph Ekanem, who is a dealer in petroleum products, now takes fuel from Ikom into Cameroon at night. He moves to Agbokim, a tourist community near Cameroon in the night and transacts his business. However, Ekanem is very cautious because he knows that if he is able to enter Cameroon through some routes, to return will be a Herculean task.

It was learnt that some traders who were able to cross into Cameroon two weeks ago to get footwears and other goods for sale are yet to return.

A trader, popularly known as Mama Emeka, who sells Cameroon rice in Ikom market in the Mile 2 area, frowned at the action of the Federal Government, saying it is affecting her business as her partners are unable to send her rice.

Egusi sellers in Ikom and nearby towns, who disclosed that they usually bought from Adamawa State and took to Cameroon for sale, said they now find it very difficult to cross the border.

Every Monday is market day in Ikom; it is a day that people from Cameroon come to sell their goods and at very reduced costs, but the market is no longer bubbling. Findings showed that those who go the extra mile to come to sell their goods at exorbitant prices; hence making life more difficult for the people.