The federal government has lifted the ban on the importation of vehicles through land borders.
Ibrahim Musa, the Director of Road Transport in the Ministry of Transportation, disclosed on Sunday that the federal government has approved the reopening of the Seme border for vehicle imports.
According to him, the decision was made at an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) meeting between officials from Nigeria and Benin, citing the complaints of freight forwarders operating at the border as the driving force behind this decision.
The development is expected to breathe new life into economic activities within the border region.
During the previous administration, land borders between Nigeria and Cotonou, Benin Republic, were closed, and subsequently, the importation of vehicles through that route was prohibited.
During the visit of the ECOWAS Monitoring Team to the Seme-Krake Joint Border Post, Musa stated, “I was here with the former Minister of State for Transportation when the freight forwarders pleaded for the reactivation of the border to facilitate the free movement of goods and services. The former minister instructed us to prepare a memo on this matter, which was duly considered and forwarded to the government.”
Dera Nnadi, the Customs Area Controller of the Seme Border Command, also acknowledged the negative impact of the vehicle importation ban on customs revenue, noting a decline in revenue since the implementation of the ban.
With the ban lifted, the anticipation is that the Seme border will witness a resurgence in trade and increased economic activity in the coming months.
