Hopes of some stakeholders who expected the border to be re-opened as the first phase of the Ex Swift s exercise expired today have been dashed, as the Federal Government insists that there is no timeline to closure of the land borders.
For 165 days (over five months), the Federal Government has successfully shut the land borders to reduce indiscriminate smuggling of foreign rice, vehicles and other illicit items.
With the embargo, regional traders across the border suffered while transporters also groan under intense hardship imposed on them.
As the first phase of the exercise comes to an end, affected stakeholders are now counting their losses, which is in billions of naira, but they will need to further endure as the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) declared that the action is indefinite.
Meanwhile, President, West African Road Transport Union (WARTU), Salami Nasiru, said the Federal Government must put structures in place, if it actually wanted to protect its borders against influx of illicit items and illegal migrants.
He lamented that goods worth billions of naira were still stuck at the border for about five months since the border was closed, adding that some of them had rotten away.
Nasiru added that the transporters and importers were still incurring demurrage on the cargos that were stuck at the borders.
Many of the importers, he said, had gone bankrupt, while others continued to groan under unnecessary expenses to keep their drivers, vehicles and the goods in good condition at the border point.
A clearing agent in Seme, Kunle Aromolaran, said he had lost hope in the re-opening of the border, as the closure had cost many agents jobs. Theguardianng