In northern Nigeria, where a cross-border trade has flourished for years, local businesses are suffering as a result of a group of West African countries’ decision to close their borders with Niger in order to punish the coup plotters there.
In order to pressure the coup plotters into reinstating Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum, who was ousted last month by soldiers in his Presidential Guard, the group known as ECOWAS limited financial transactions and closed the borders between Niger and its member countries. But Nigeria is feeling the effects of the sanctions against the junta.
According to a study by the Central Bank of Nigeria, Niger is responsible for 75% of the entire value of exports from Nigeria’s informal cross-border commerce. In its most recent report from 2016, the bank estimated that in-border commerce in goods with Niger was worth 828 billion naira annually.
Numerous trucks, most of them carrying food and other perishable commodities, were kept stranded for days in Katsina State in northwest Nigeria as a result of the border’s closure and traffic restrictions on surrounding routes. Residents claim that the cost of livestock, animal products, and various other goods typically imported from the Niger city of Maradi has soared.
The limitation on border crossing is being enforced by Nigerian authorities, but the action has also affected nearby traffic, including truckers who were instead traveling to Nigerian border towns rather than Niger.
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Aliyu Musa, a truck driver from Nigeria, claimed he was transporting bags of garri, valued at around 15 million naira, from Benue State to another area of Katsina when he and other drivers became stranded for five days in the hot Jibia border territory.
He said, “The garri can spoil at any time.” We are still in Nigeria, but we are still being stopped.
Residents also expressed dissatisfaction that business owners had raised prices for other commodities in response to the border closure.
According to Mohammed Ali-Kangwua, a resident of Katsina, a bag of corn weighing 100 kilograms (220 pounds) now costs roughly N42,000, a 24% rise from the previous week.
He lamented how the border restrictions had divided the populations on both sides of the line. We even got married among ourselves because of how much we shared, he remarked.
“It can be said that Nigeria and Niger are one,” Mohammed continued.
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