Why Over 1000 Customs Brokers, 200,000 employees are Now Jobless

The Vice President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Custom Agents (ANLCA), Mr Kayode Farinto, has said that over 1000 Customs Brokers and about 200,000 employees have been forced out of jobs due to the border closure policy of Nigeria since last year August.

urged the Federal Government to re-open its land border, stating that the continuous closure of the land borders negates the protocols and conventions agreement signed by the country. This is even as the ANLCA Vice President
Recall that the Federal Government had in August of 2019 ordered the complete closure of the Nigerian land borders, placing a ban on both legitimate and illegitimate movement of goods in and out of the country due to security reasons.

Speaking to selected journalists in his office late on Wednesday, the ANLCA Vice stated that the closure of the border has overstayed the reason why it was shut.

Farinto argued that the continuous closure of the land borders will not only lead to continuous job losses but will affect the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCFTA) that Nigeria is a signatory to.

According to him, “I am one of those that said the issue of border closure was a necessity when it was closed last year August. However, almost a year now, the borders have remained closed.

In the spirit of ECOWAS, it is not too good for us, now that we are trying to practice the African Free Trade Agreement.

“Ordinarily what the government should have done after closing the borders is to deploy security devices along the borders. These are prerequisites that are supposed to have been put in place. We are privileged to have gone through border points between Banjul and Gambia and have seen the modern security devices there.

“Do you know that once a chip is hit on a container, you can monitor that container as it is going on the road. These are things that the Nigerian Customs have refused to do here in Nigeria, yet we left our borders closed and over hundred of thousands are suffering as a result of this, and this is also negating the spirit of ECOWAS and AFCTA.

It is high time we open our borders. Don’t forget that freight Forwarders and international business people that move cargoes along the borders are now unemployed with many sick and unable to afford three square meal. It’s not as if the government has given them any palliatives.

“With the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to open our borders for essential goods to come in. The border closure was supposed to be a sting operation, not for eternity.

“Don’t forget that oil is dwindling and I think the only thing we can do now is to allow free movement of trade.

“But almost a year that the border has remained closed, so many employees of we, Customs Brokers, are unemployed.