Reopen land borders, Olubadan urges FG

The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, has appealed to the Federal Government to open all land borders in Nigeria to ease the movement of persons and goods across the sub-region as provided under the ECOWAS trade liberalisation scheme.

Ladoja appealed when the outgoing Controller of Customs, Oyo/Osun Area Command, Compt. Gambo Aliyu paid him a farewell visit at his Bodija residence in Ibadan on Sunday.

He recalled that the federal government, during the tenure of late President Muhammadu Buhari, had closed land borders in 2019, but later reopened some major ones, including Seme and Idiroko, in Lagos and Ogun States, respectively.

The royal father said, “Following the removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government on May 29, 2023, there was no longer a reason for the continued closure of the remaining land borders.”

While commending the leadership of the Nigeria Customs Service for its anti-smuggling activities, the Olubadan urged the service to rise to the challenge of the entry of illegal arms and ammunition into the country.

Ladoja said that the country’s borders, seaports, and airports needed to be policed properly to curb the entry of illegal arms and ammunition, drugs, substandard products, and other prohibited items.