President Bola Tinubu has mandated the creation of a Presidential Task Force to eliminate excessive checkpoints obstructing free movement within the region. The move follows persistent complaints about delays and extortion along key trade routes.
Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, Ambassador Musa Nuhu, confirmed the development during an inspection of the Seme border on Wednesday.
“We are starting with the Seme-Badagry Corridor first. That committee has been set up under the authority of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and we will soon start working to address this issue,” he stated.
“So, we have noted all the issues mentioned, and I assure you that the government of Nigeria will also address the other issues that are subsequently mentioned.”
The Seme-Badagry corridor, a vital transit point for goods and travelers between Nigeria and Benin Republic, has long been plagued by numerous checkpoints, causing frustration among motorists and traders.
“This is the busiest border in West Africa, in terms of passage of goods, people, and services. And if free movement is working in West Africa, it is in this border that we will be able to find out,” Nuhu emphasized.
Drivers at the meeting raised concerns over frequent stops and illegal payments demanded by security personnel. In response, ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray stressed that any fees collected must be properly documented.
“While you check passengers and road users, we should go beyond these charges of being asked to pay money without receipts. If there are any payments to be done, those payments should be officially receipted,” he insisted.
“It’s one thing to ask somebody to open their bags and then investigate and check, but it’s a totally different thing to ask them to pay money which are not receipted.”
Touray warned that unchecked extortion undermines ECOWAS’s goal of regional integration, urging stricter compliance with transparency measures. The new task force is expected to begin operations soon to streamline cross-border movement.
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