The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, stated on Saturday that only President Bola Tinubu has the authority to reopen the country’s borders.
He made the statement during an interaction with members of the Kongolam border community in Katsina’s Mai’adua Local Government Area.
Adeniyi, in response to calls for the reopening of the borders, stated that discussions and consultations were taking place on the matter.
He said:
“Once consultations are concluded, a decision will be taken.”
“We are conscious of the concerns of the border communities, particularly about the number of checkpoints and the closure of land borders.
“I assure you that our operations are always guided by law, and we only operate on delegated powers.
“We have communicated the concerns and complaints by residents of the border communities to the President and because he has listening ears, he directed that we should release confiscated food items, on the condition that they will only be sold in the Nigerian markets.”
Adeniyi, who also met with former President Muhammad Buhari and the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Umar Faruq-Umar, revealed that the Service is working with the Police and other sister agencies to overcome barriers to free trade in border areas.
He added:
“We know that there are markets around our borders, and we know that not all are targeted at taking goods across the borders.
“We will continue to monitor and ensure that food produced in Nigeria remains and is consumed in Nigeria. This is because we are in a national emergency that has to do with food insufficiency.
“And that is why we must collectively work together to assist the government to enforce the various laws prohibiting exportation of food items at this time.”
