Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo said on Friday in Benin City, Edo State, Nigerians should endure whatever hardship they are facing because of the current closure of Nigerian borders with its West African neighbours. Osinbajo said the move was to boost local production of agricultural products that are being smuggled into the country.
He spoke at a town hall meeting put together as part of activities for the ongoing National Festival for Arts and Culture in the Edo State capital. He the same countries where these goods come from do not allow any good into their country outside what they produce.
The vice president said part of the reason for the border closure was to get the attention of neighbouring countries to take more seriously the question of border policing. He said: “Part of the reasons for shutting the border is the smuggling that has been going on.
If we continue to allow the Chinese and others to continue to bring in all those things, we will kill farming completely and most of our people will not be employed. “There may be some pain in other to gain. The countries of the world that are prosperous didn’t allow anybody to bring in anything to their country. They made sure they grow what they eat.
I can assure you that very soon you will see a great deal of progress. You will see more of our own commodity coming into the market. If we allow our own people to grow these things, our people will prosper. The only way our people can prosper is if we let them use the opportunity that they have such as farming, fishing, and others.”
