It is not only the Customs that is involved in the current exercise. They have to involve the Armed Forces, Police and Civil Defence. They are all there to ensure that there is no circumvention of border closure.
The government should look into the situation with the ports. I think ports in Benin Republic are cheaper. People prefer to clear their goods, especially vehicles in Benin Republic and then transport by road to Nigeria. All these things we have to check, because our Customs alone cannot do it. The government also needs to re-orientate their officials because corruption is endemic among Custom officials.
If government can continue to look inwards and buy from local textile manufacturers, that will revive the textile industry. We were close to shutting down the industry because we are not competitive. Electricity is out biggest problem, power is always fluctuating; electricity constitutes up to 27 per cent of the requirement of the textile industry.
We have never seen that type of money. It has not been given to us. If it was actually meant for textile development, it is supposed to be kept in a bank where we can access it free of interest rate. The fund was to enable us buy electricity at a competitive rate and cushion the effect of overhead so that we can compete. But government has not implemented that policy.
Many Nigerian traders dealing in perishable food items, including tomatoes and poultry products are lamenting the closure. What do you make of this? Many countries are building industrial hubs where they are able to supply 24 hours of electricity. We are not getting that. We are left like that. So people have to look at these things and compare and tell us whether we are really competitive or not.
The simple fact that the North supports border closure & while the south rejects it, tells u that there is a hidden agenda. I say to the South lets leave these Northerners to get their Boko Haram Republic, give citizenship to cows & elect a Cow President.