It was in a Tweet that the President of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari announced on December 16 the reopening of the land borders between his country and its neighbors Benin, Niger and Cameroon. The situation had lasted since August 2019 and the decision of the Nigerian authorities to prevent smuggling and develop local production. The various closures ended up suffocating cross-border trade, vital in this sub-region. According to Nigeria’s calendar, it is first with Benin that trade should resume. A few weeks earlier, Niyi Adebayo, the Nigerian Minister of Industry, already asserted that his country had solved part of the problem because “the security agencies were able to identify the problems at the borders, especially in terms of smuggling,” he said. he underlined, referring to the smuggling of rice and poultry, but also petroleum products.
After the confirmation of the presidential decision by the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, currency traders, sellers, transporters, small traders, taxi drivers, began to flock on foot, by motorbike or by car on both sides of the Sèmè Kraké border post. , on the Atlantic coast, noted our colleagues from Agence France-Presse. On the Beninese side, this news provoked a huge wave of joy as many of them depend on this border to live. “I am moved to tears, this reopening will put an end to our difficulties,” said Jacqueline Watchinou, a saleswoman from Benin who during these 16 months had to “work as a domestic” to meet the needs of her family. “Yesterday at the announcement, we had a party. We are so happy, ”said another woman.
Large-scale smuggling
On Wednesday evening, the first crossings even took place, but in the morning, the hedge closed, however, Nigerian customs officials awaiting the official decree from Abuja to reopen it. The concern then began to gain the traders. “This morning, we learned that Nigerians do not let anyone pass,” said distraught Brice Biokou, a forex trader who observed the comings and goings between the two countries on Wednesday. “They say they are waiting for orders from their hierarchy and that worries us a little. ”
In August 2019, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari imposed the closure of land borders overnight to develop local industry and curb imports. In recent years, the Beninese port of Cotonou has almost become the natural port of Lagos, the economic capital of Nigeria with 20 million inhabitants totally congested and plagued by corruption. About a hundred kilometers separate the two large cities. Huge quantities of frozen chickens, rice, fabrics, but also cars arrived at the port of Cotonou, taxed in Benin, before being transported – often illegally – to the Nigerian neighbor.
In the other direction, Benin, which has only a tiny number of functioning petrol stations, lives off the importation of petrol from Nigeria, smuggled on motorbikes in jerry cans, and sold alongside all the roads of Benin. Thus, this closure measure had dramatic economic consequences suffocating Benin, southern Niger, but also border communities in Nigeria, which live mainly from trade with its neighbors.
The end of an aberration?
But in the face of the economic recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and soaring food prices in Nigeria, especially rice, the government’s decision was increasingly criticized. Especially since this decision goes against all the free trade and free movement of goods and people treaties signed within ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States). Even more surprisingly, Abuja’s decision came just weeks after officially joining the future African Continental Free Trade Area (Zleca).
Sixteen months later, all is not settled, however, many Beninese products are still banned from entering Nigerian territory. This is the case for rice, poultry and all products prohibited from importation. Not to discourage Midonignon Agbogninoi, a freight transporter who worked for 22 years at this border. “I do not hide my emotion from you,” confides this man, who had to find “odd jobs” to feed his family during this extremely difficult period. “I am in a hurry to convey goods again to Nigeria”, he ecstasies, saying to himself confident in the future: “I heard that before the end of the day, everything would be back in the ‘order. Nigeria, with 200 million people and 2 million barrels of oil exported every day, is the largest economy on the African continent, but the country has the highest number of people living below the extreme poverty line in Africa. world.
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