A senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has warned against Federal Government’s plan to shut down a land border between Nigeria and a neighbouring country, saying the measure will “suffocate” legitimate businesses in the country.
On Monday, Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, announced that the government would soon shut down a land border to prevent smuggling of rice. Although Ogbeh did not mention the particular country and border, he said the action had become necessary to encourage local production of rice and sustain the economy of the country.
“Our other problem is smuggling. As we speak, a neighbour of ours is importing more rice than China is importing,” he had said.
However, writing via his Twitter handle, Sani said relevant security agencies should be able to tackle the issue rather than shutting the border in question. He wrote: “It’s wrong to shut down the land borders ‘because of rice smuggling’. “Our layers of security operatives should be able to combat or prevent smuggling without suffocating
