The task force on trade facilitation has expressed interest to collaborate with the Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) to help to eliminate hindrances and deepen trade in the country.

Mr. David Adejuwon, chairman of the task force made this known in an interview with newsmen in Abuja after the group visited Mr. Roberts Orya, NEXIM’s Managing Director.

He said collaboration with NEXIM would go a long way in strengthening trade in the country.

“The issue of multiple checkpoints along our border corridor; we have been able to confirm the report we received that between Lagos and Seme border alone, there are about 35 checkpoints during daytime and almost 50 checkpoints at night between Lagos and Seme border.”

“This is as against the protocol that all member countries have signed to reduce such checkpoints to maximum of three.”

Adejuwon said multiple checkpoints impacted negatively on the nation’s image and competitiveness, adding that it was against efforts made in the past to attract Foreign Direct Investments.

“This issue must be addressed frontally,’’ he stressed.

He noted that the World Bank had recommended three locations where authorised checkpoints should be and where agencies approved to work, should stay at the border corridor.

He said that the idea of seeing different law enforcement agencies after every half kilometer at the border corridor, demanding different kinds of

papers, made the environment not conducive to trade.

He said: “We have travelled to all parts of the world and on their roads you will travel thousands of kilometers without seeing a single drum placed to block the road or people placing spikes on the road to stop trucks for checking.”

“But that is not to say that the law enforcement agencies are not there. It is a serious issue that as a task force we want to tackle frontally.’’

Adejuwon, who is also Director of Trade in the Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry added that there was the need to address the facility gap at the airport.

He said that the process of passing through Immigration Service checkpoint and baggage lounge takes a long while and should be improved.

He added that for the nation to be able to grow the economy and achieve all the development plans, efforts should be made to ensuring effective movement of trade in the country.

He said that the task force would be working on sensitising Nigerians to create necessary awareness, adding that the process of review of the nation’s trade police would soon begin.

Responding, Orya assured that NEXIM was prepared for the collaboration, saying: “deepening trade continues to be one of the priorities of the bank.’’

“I have to thank the members of the task force for a good work they are doing and we have to encourage them to continue.”

“Deepening trade in the ECOWAS region continues to be our initiative and one of the areas of priority for the bank.’’

Orya said that much had not been done with a lot of protocols signed by member states of ECOWAS to ensure seamless movement of goods and people within the sub-region.

He stressed: “you will have the support of NEXIM because this is also what we are driving at and where we are going.

“Everybody, even the development bodies, will be happy to see that we are working on deepening trade in the sub-region.’’