ON ATIKU'S VOW TO REOPEN BORDERS: MY TAKE

ON ATIKU'S VOW TO REOPEN BORDERS: MY TAKE
                        By
             Nurudeen Dauda
             22nd December, 2022
nurudeendauda24@gmail.com
nurudeendauda24@yahoo.com
nurudeendauda.blogspot.com

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice president Atiku Abubakar, has vowed to reopen all Nigerian borders if elected president in 2023. He made the pledge on the 20th of December, 2022 in Kastina State during his campaign in the state.

To begin with, as far as I know Nigeria did not close it borders at any point in time and no nation will close its borders and survive. What the Nigeria government does is putting "Imports restrictions" on certain "goods" through its "land borders". It is important to note that Nigeria as a country has three border routes; namely: (1) The Land border, (2) The Waterways or the Seaports, and (3) The Airways or the Airspace. All the Imports of goods banned through the land borders were at the same time legally allowed to be imported through the Seaports. The government advanced two reasons; namely: local farmers protection and security concerns.

Permit me to ask, if Imports restrictions on "Rice" for instance through the land borders is removed by the next government, what will happen to our "millions" of local "Rice farmers" and "thousands" of local Rice "millers" as well as their employees who emerged as a result of the present Rice revolution? Will they close shops or will they be able to compete with foreign Rice from Thailand, China, and India etc? We have had Rice Pyramids from Kebbi, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Nassarawa, Niger, Kaduna, Benue, Cross Rivers and Ebonyi states etc. We have had the emergence of "thousands" of small, medium and large scale Rice Mills across the country courtesy of president Buhari's Rice revolution.

In my view, our local Rice farmers needed "protection", improve security, and more support by the next government to enable them sustain and improve on the gains recorded so far on local Rice farming courtesy of president Buhari's Anchor Borrowers Programmes and land borders Imports restrictions. Unarguably 80% of Nigerians now resort to the consumption of local Rice. Although we buy it at a very exorbitant price, but atleast our "local" farmers not "foreign" farmers  are becoming millionaires. This makes a lot of sense from economic nationalism.

However, I quite agree that the price of local Rice is still very high and needed to go down. In my thought, deficits in local production in comparison with our annual total consumption is responsible for its exorbitant price. The prices needed to go down for consumers to benefit as well as farmers. Available statistics shows that we consumed about 7.million tonnes of Rice annually . Before president Buhari's efforts on Rice farming our local farmers cultivate about 2million tonnes annually, but now cultivate about 5million tonnes which still shows a gap between our 7million tonnes annual consumption and the improved 5million tonnes local production. Increased in local production will definitely bring the prices low. 

Extreme economic "liberalism" in a developing nation like ours will only do more harm than good. We need the combination of economic "nationalism" and "liberalism" in a developing economy like ours. His Excellency former Vice president Atiku Abubakar or any other presidential candidate that may share his thought should have a rethink on this issue.

In my view, what our local farmers need particularly Rice farmers are improve security, protection, technical know- how, seedlings, fertilizers, pesticides, and finances etc., in order to sustain the gain already recorded. Removing Imports "restrictions" on Rice at this critical stage of our near Rice self- sufficiency in my thought will reverse the gains recorded on local Rice farming which we do not need at this critical stage. Our local farmers do not have the modern technical know-how and resources to compete with Rice farmers from Thailand, China, and India etc., in a liberalize economic environment.

Our local farmers must engage all politicians vying for presidential post to secure their commitment towards sustaining the success recorded so far. Let's sustain the legacy, please!

May God bless Nigeria!

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