There was jubilation in Seme, near Badagry, Lagos State, on Wednesday as Federal Government ordered the reopening of four land borders across the country.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, announced the immediate reopening of four land borders after the Federal Executive Council meeting held virtually in Abuja on Wednesday.
The Federal Government had on August 21, 2019, ordered the closure of Nigerian borders to curb smuggling of goods and weapons.
“The president has approved the reopening of four land borders, namely– Seme, South-West, Ilela, North West, Maigatari border in the North-West and North-Central and Mfum in the South-South.
“These four land borders will be opened immediately, while the remaining land borders are directed to be reopened on or before Dec. 31,’’ the minister told State House Correspondents in Abuja on Wednesday.
She said that Buhari also directed that while the borders were being reopened, the ban on the importation of rice, poultry and other products still subsisted and would be implemented by the border patrol team.
Meanwhile, a large number of stakeholders and residents of Seme border community have expressed their joy at the development and commended Buhari for reopening the land borders.
Reacting, the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents, Seme Border Chapter, commended the Federal Government for reopening the land borders.
Alhaji Bisiriyu Fanu, ANCLA Seme Chapter Chairman, said the reopening of the land borders will boost trans-border trade in the ECOWAS subregion.
Fanu said that many freight forwarders had lost their means of livelihoods as a result of the closure because their goods were stuck on both sides of the border.
The Onimeke of Imekeland, Oba Abraham Ogabi, also said that the reopening of the land border was a welcome development.
Ogabi said the closure had paralysed socioeconomic activities of border communities which relied on the trade between Republic of Benin and Badagry communities.
“We are in the border area, some of our people are married to their women and we do legitimate business with them.
“But the closure has affected our socioeconomic relationship with the border communities of Benin Republic.
“We thank the President and members of the FEC for reopening of the land borders,” he said.
Also speaking, the Alashipa of Ashipa in Badagry, Alhaji Shehu Ayeni, said the closure had affected his community which shared land borders with Republic of Benin.
The traditional ruler, however, appealed to the government to ensure security operatives were posted to necessary points in the area to block the influx of contraband into the country.
Ayeni said the reopening of the Seme land border would put smiles on the faces of many residents of the community.
CBN boosts poultry sector with N12.5billion
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has released the sum of N12.552 billion to large, medium and small-scale poultry farmers in the country as part of its strategy to boost egg and meat production as well as create more jobs in the country.
Sources at the bank indicated, yesterday, that between the last quarter of 2019 and November 2020, farmers in the poultry value-chain in the country received a total sum of N12,552,000,000 from various commercial banks and the NIRSAL Microfinance Bank.
According to them, large-scale companies that benefited from the CBN intervention programmes included Fortune Heights and Animal Care, both in Ogun State; Dasco Engineering in Lagos, Olam Hatcheries in Kaduna, Eastern Plains in Anambra State and Emmpek Farms in Delta State. Other beneficiaries listed under the Agri-Business/Small and Medium Enterprises Investment Scheme (AGSMEIS) window include Elabi Farms in Bayelsa and Aladeyelu Farms in Ondo.
It was learnt that 639 poultry farmers that applied through the regular AGSMEIS window had also received funds as Autonomous Poultry farmers, through NIRSAL MFB, to the tune of N1.996 Billion.
Similarly, the sum of N1.591 Billion has been disbursed to 898 poultry farmers across the country to ameliorate the impact of COVID-19 on their operations.
Confirming this, the Director, Development Finance Department at the Bank, Mr. Phillip Yila Yusuf, said the disbursement of funds to farmers was an on-going process as more farmers are being shortlisted for the loans
According to him, additional fund will be disbursed to poultry farmers before the end of 2020 to guarantee, among other objectives, improved affordability and accessibility of eggs, broiler meat and day-old-chicks; assured market for egg-producers through off-take; employment creation for existing and new poultry farmers and improved protein intake for Nigerians.
The CBN in 2019 hosted 12 universities from the six geo-political zones of the country to partner with them in a pilot scheme known as university-based Poultry Revival Programme aimed at further addressing the demand gap and unlocking the potentials of Nigerian poultry producers, through the involvement of universities.
Meanwhile, some large-scale poultry farmers that have benefited from the intervention schemes of the CBN again lauded the bank’s intervention in the sector, noting that, post-COVID 19, the poultry sector in Nigeria would witness a great boost
