The newly appointed Coordinator for the Joint Border Operations Drill, Mohammed Garba, North central Zone, Ilorin, Kwara State, says Federal Government policy on border closure was targeted at illegal businesses.
NAN reports that he spoke at the palace of the Emir of Yashikira, Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara on Sunday when he led his team on a familiarisation tour of border communities in the state.
Garba, who is also a Comptroller, Nigeria Customs Service, explained that the idea was not to obstruct indigenes from legitimate trading.
He said, “The decision is rather to encourage local farmers, control the inflow of arms and ammunition, halt the smuggling of illicit drugs and other prohibited goods in and out of the country.”
Meanwhile, Rev. Fr. Kizito Fogos, the Parish Priest of Church of Assumption Chongo’ Pyeng, Jos, has called on Nigerians to patronise local products in order to boost the country’s economy.
He said this while commenting on the decision by the Federal Government to keep the nation’s land borders shut.
According to him, the closure will make Nigeria become a self-sufficient economy, where it consumes what it produces.
The cleric, who noted that the current hardships being experienced as a result of the closure were temporary, said the long term benefits would be enormous.
NAN
