Business
‘Nigeria’s Border Closure Grounds Chad, Cameroon Economy’
The directive by the Federal Government to close the country’s border in some troubled parts of Borno, Yobe, Niger and Plateau States with some neighbouring countries is taking a negative turn on the economies of the latter.
Nigeria’s ambassador in Chad, Alhaji Abdullahi Omaki, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen last Tuesday in N’djamena.
Omaki said correspondent covering the 14th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) that Chad and Cameroon were the most affected by the directive.
“The volume of trade, largely unrecorded, is about 80 per cent in favour of Nigeria.
“Most of the goods and services coming into Chad, 80 per cent come from Nigeria with less than 20 per cent coming from Cameroon.
“If the borders were not closed and you go through the Banki road, the Gambo road you will see the numbers of trailers that are plying that route on daily basis.
“Now that the border has been closed with effect from the end of last year, if you ask the Cameroonian authority, they will tell you how much they are losing in terms of revenue that they collect from these vehicles that pass through Banki and Gamboru.’’
President Goodluck Jonathan last Monday led Nigeria’s delegation to the summit which was attended by four other African leaders of LCBC member states.
The downturn in economic activities at the border areas with the neighbouring countries followed President Jonathan’s declaration of a state of emergency in 15 local government areas in Borno, Yobe, Plateau and Niger states last December.