‘ECOWAS is non-existent on Nigeria border closure’ – GUTA

The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) says the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is ‘virtually non-existent’ and does not see its parliament coming into the fold on the issue of the Nigerian border closure.

According to the President of the Association, Dr. Joseph Obeng, Ghana must not depend on ECOWAS to resolve the border crisis that has left many Ghanaian traders and their goods stranded at the Nigeria-Benin border.

“The Nigerian authorities must give us a timeline to allow Ghanaian traders stuck inside Nigeria to leave with their products back to Ghana because we cannot depend on ECOWAS to deal with the matter, there’s too much capital on goods and services being lost,” Dr. Obeng made this known in a phone interview with GhanaWeb.

“We just want Nigeria to open its border because there is no law forbidding Nigeria from closing its borders, they never communicated anything to us before shutting the borders and ECOWAS has since not issued any directive on the matter” he added.

He said ECOWAS over the past three months, has largely failed many traders in getting Nigeria to open its borders to allow stranded traders back to their respective countries.

Dr. Obeng advised that government must act as a matter of urgency and prudence to resolve the border crisis.

Nigeria’s decision to extend border closure to January 2020

On November 1, the Nigerian government announced its decision to shut its borders to all trade activities until January 31, 2020.

The extension which was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari is said to be a result of the ‘overwhelming success’ the closure has so far chalked in the face of the country’s economy and security.

According to Nigeria, the action taken was to express its displeasure at the attitude of the Beninoise traders who they alleged are smuggling rice illegally into Nigeria.