Border Closure For National, ECOWAS Interest – Omo-Agege

Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege on Friday in Abuja said that the recent closure of Nigeria’s land borders was of national interest and that of ECOWAS member states.

Omo-Agege made this known during a seminar organised by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), a German Foundation with the theme “The roles of Parliaments in Supranational communities”.

Omo-Agege who was represented by Mr Efe Duku, his Special Adviser on Legislative and Plenary Matters, said that the Parliament agreed with the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari on the land border closure.

The Deputy Senate President explained that the non-compliance with the provision of the ECOWAS treaty regarding the management of borders was already impacting negatively on Nigeria as a nation.

“The intervention of the Deputy Senate President here today is for the closure, or better management of borders as at today is in our national interest.

“And ultimately, although they may not agree, it is also in the interest of ECOWAS as a region that they do not breach the protocol and plead pity.

“They do not breach the protocol and try to create insecurity by attacking citizens of member states.

“Our position is clear; we support the decisions of the government to better manage the borders as of today.

“We also support the decisions of the government to ensure that the economic benefits due to every member state as a result of import, customs activities, that they should get them.

“So essentially, with regard to the resolutions reached by the ECOWAS Parliament, we think that they need to look very well at the protocol.

“And see whether recommending that Nigeria just throws the borders open and reward people or nations who are in breach of the protocol or treaty is the right way to go,” Omo-Agege said.

Omo-Agege said that in line with the theme of the seminar, as part of its role in the supranational community, the ECOWAS Parliament must devise instruments to back up its resolutions.

According o him, this should be implied particularly when it comes to member nations implementing resolutions of the sub-regional body and other extra-regional body resolutions that affect ECOWAS countries.

Similarly, Rep. Ossai Ossai, House Committee Chairman on Treaties, Protocol and Agreement, said that to bring goods into Nigeria, it must pass through the proper procedure.

Ossai said that most of the ECOWAS countries had breached the agreement signed and those agreements were very important.

He noted that in other to protect Nigeria, the other countries should also respect the agreements.

The legislator noted that although the closure of border negates the ECOWAS treaty of free trade and integration, there was a clause to it when
the treaty was not being obeyed accordingly.