Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, spoke in favour of Nigeria’s partial border closure with neighbours, asking Benin Republic to change its ways for a harmonious bilateral relationship between the two countries.
Obasanjo spoke on a day former Director of Kenyan Anti-Corruption Commission, Prof. PLO Lumumba, said in Lagos that Nigeria was too big to be threatened by smaller neighbouring countries to resort to closure of its land borders.
The former President made the remark at a briefing in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the sideline of the two-day Policy Dialogue of African Business Associations on Implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA, Agreements, co-organized by the African Union (AU), African Development Bank, AfDB, the African Export – Import Bank, AFREXIMBANK, among others.
Obasanjo, who is the chairman of Afro-Champion Initiative and Coalition of Dialogue Africa, CoDA, Board of Directors, explained that Benin’s notoriety was not new, noting Nigeria had for long been enduring the practice which undermined its economic well being.
He said: “It happened when I was President of Nigeria. I called the then Benin President, Nicephore Dieudonne Soglo, to let us meet at any of our border posts over the issue.
More in Home “We eventually met at Badagry (in Nigeria) where we agreed that Nigerian Customs would be stationed in Benin. They (the Nigerian Customs) are still there. We don’t have issues with goods manufactured in Benin, they are welcome. But as long as Benin allows dumping of goods, there will always be problem with Nigeria.’’ He said the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, was not created to allow one country turn itself to a dumping ground.
On AfCFTA, Obasanjo said the execution of the agreements was crucial to its success and sustainability, noting that the intense support AfCFTA has received from various member states was a clear indication of its importance. “CoDA is highly engaged to seeking success of AfCFTA and other multilateral agreements. CoDA’s work is informed and guided by the notion that no one has monopoly of ideas,” he said.
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