PRESIDENT BUHARI: BETWEEN CLOSURE OF ILLEGAL ENTRY POINTS AND PROPER IMPORTATION OF GOODS/ITEMS

The closure of illegal entry points into Nigeria by President Buhari is strictly in compliance with ECOWAS PROTOCOL on transit of illegal cargo and unlawful movement of people from one country to another. President Buhari is selling ani-corruption crusade to other West African countries like Benin, Niger, Chad and Cameroun.
I must commend President Buhari for the closure of illegal entry points into the country to get attention of neighbouring countries to take more seriously the policing of the borders. Rauf Aregbesola, Minister for Interior said closure of illegal entry points was crucial and urgent to curb smuggling activities in the country’s land border, noting that the policy is situated in the larger context of the overall economy.
I must commend President Buhari determination for the closure of the country’s illegal entry points at the borders, the move was aimed at getting the neighbouring countries to take seriously, the question of policing the borders. According to Vice President Osibanjo: “part of the reasons for shutting the borders is the smuggling that has been going on. If we continue to allow the Chinese and others to continue to bring in all those things, we will kill farming completely and most of our people will not be employed.
I am a fan of the closure of illegal crossing points as a policy of President Buhari to stop corruption at Nigeria’s borders. I commend the International Monetary Fund IMF for its endorsement. President Buhari deserves commendation for allowing legal and legitimate commodities only to enter Nigeria. The policy is in line with the Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS protocol on free movement of legal and legitimate goods, persons and the recent African Continental Free Trade Agreement. The neighbouring countries must stop corruption and illegal entry points into Nigeria.

President Buhari is working closely with the Customs Border Patrol (CBP) staff to ensure that importers comply with the laws regarding the type of product you are importing (foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics or alcoholic beverage, for instance). President Buhari is working closely with the Customs Border Patrol (CBP) staff to develop a relationship, to make sure imported commodities are packed sufficiently and to abide by all the rules and regulations. President Buhari is working closely with the Customs Border Patrol (CBP) staff to scrutinize the supplier’s instructions with respect to invoicing, packing, marking, labeling and payment, for example, because you must comply with the terms and conditions of the transaction to clear your goods and have the supplier get paid.
President Buhari has not closed Nigerian borders but implementing strict monitoring of legitimate goods and proper importation of goods/items into the country. It has been over two months since President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the monitoring of borders for legitimate goods, proper importation of goods/items into the country and also placed an embargo on the importation of rice, groundnut oil, frozen foods, drugs, and other commodities considered to be contraband. Among the aforementioned, rice is believed to be the most preferred staple food for Nigerians. On June 13, 2019, the Comptroller General of Nigerian Customs Services (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd) represented at an event by the Assistant Comptroller General and Customs Coordinator in charge of Zone A, Mr. Kaycee Ekekezie as reported by several media organisations said that the NCS is making huge returns daily claiming it to be as a result of closure of illegal entering points in our borders which now enables for proper importation of goods/items into the country.
The importers have not complied with many formalities for taking delivery of goods. The Nigerian Customs Service has announced the complete closure of illegal entry points across the nation which also means a total ban on all import and export goods through the land border. The Nigerian Customs Service has announced the complete closure of illegal entering points in our borders across the nation which also means a total ban on all import and export goods through the land border. I request all importers to have a proper tracking of their import goods to avoid exorbitant demurrage and detention charges at destination port. I also underline, the dispatch of Cargo Arrival Notice – CAN – is not mandatory by carrier of goods. Show all goods precisely as they are to be imported. Accuracy is the key here—every statement of fact must be true and accurate. Include all information required on the customs invoices
In almost all countries of the world import trade is controlled by the government. The objectives of these controls are proper use of foreign exchange restrictions, protection of indigenous industries etc. The imports of goods have to follow a procedure. This procedure involves a number of steps
Findings reveal that foreign parboiled rice produced in Thailand and India, vegetable oil and cars maintain the lead in the list of smuggled items into Nigeria. The Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hamid Ali (rtd), revealed that the service has intercepted 25 containers of expired rice at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos.
Ali disclosed this in Abuja at the fourth National Assembly hearing on the proposed 2020 budget. He told the federal legislators that the decision to monitor the country’s land boarders was not driven solely for increased revenue collection but has security consideration. He stated: “I want to take this opportunity to tell this house that we have now 25 containers of rice we intercepted in Tin Can Island Port. Each of them contained 100 bags of rice that were clearly stamped with the expiration date of May 2018. I have said it here that 90 per cent of the smuggled rice has expired.
“In Thailand and India, when their rice expired, they would buy a portion of the sea to dump them. But our men will go there and pick them. Moreover, some Indians and Lebanese who care nothing about our health, about our wellbeing will come and re-bag then with new expiry date and this is what we consume.”
Ali also claimed that the border monitoring has contributed to the reduction in banditry and kidnapping in the far north, adding that the border closure has cut off the supply of arms to the bandits. He further explained that revenue collected by the NCS has increased to N6 billion daily against N4.7 billion it used to collect before the borders were sealed up as those who used to patronize Cotonu ports are now being constrained to utilise Nigerian ports. He also stated that 80 per cent of the consignments at the ports were not properly documented and agreed that NCS has no scanners at the various ports but subject cargoes to 100 per cent inspection.
Smuggling, believed to be the bane of the economy in a number of unlimited ways, simply because it is an avenue for the evasion of tax and other levies, endangers government policies by slowing down the development projects meant to be carried out with the revenue ought to be generated for the country. Smuggled goods destabilise market prices since they are often cheaper than the ones supplied to markets through legal routes thereby exposing genuine traders to unsportsmanlike competition. It undermines the local industry not least because it under-cuts prices of goods manufactured in Nigeria thus crowding out the market for local products. The unfortunate result is the breakdown of neighbourhood businesses joined by loss of employment and the high pace of joblessness. There is similarly the low profitability related to wellbeing and security risks with respect to buyers who disparage unsatisfactory, lapsed and counterfeit items.