A committee has been set up by the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government to study and report on Nigeria’s land border closure.
The committee headed by President Rich Marc Christian Kabore of Burkina Faso will review the state of relationship with Nigeria and her neighbours.
The report indicated that the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Mallam Garba Shehu made this disclosure recently in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
According to Shehu, the decision to constitute the committee was reached at the 33rd AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyema while speaking to journalists at the end of a three-hour closed-door meeting said the meeting was attended by President Buhari and chaired by the Chairman of ECOWAS, President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic.
It was further revealed that the meeting focused on issues as West Africa’s new single currency, the Eco and a look into the post-presidential election situation in Guinea Bissau.
In his response on the border closure, Onyeama said
“The President of Burkina Faso is charged with undertaking a full study of the study of the situation, make a report and then we take it from there.”
He spoke further on when the reports will be presented to ECOWAS Heads of State and Government.
“As soon as possible, there are no timelines. But he is supposed to start very quickly, study the situation from all the affected countries and present his report.”
Towards the end of the year 2019, there were a series of reactions on the closure. While some applauded it, others condemned it.
According to Linus Unah in African Business Times reports that the border closure caused economic shock.
“In October Nigeria closed it’s borders to the movement of goods. The move, aimed at curbing smuggling, has led to price rises, while critics claim that it threatens free trade across the region.
The unexpected nature of the announcement gave traders and communities little time to prepare for the economic shock that followed” he added.
The outcome of the report many believe would reflect a long-lasting solution to the current friction existing between the neighbouring countries with Nigeria on this issue.
