Border closure: It’s in national interest, says Omo-Agege

Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege has said that members of the National Assembly were in support of the decision of the federal government to close Nigeria’s land border of the nation’s border because it was for national interest.

He stated this in his keynote address at the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Conference on Friday in Abuja, emphasising that there was no rationale for breaching ECOWAS’ protocol, attacking Nigerians or allowing unjustified risks against Nigeria’s security and economic well-being.

The senator was represented at the event organised by the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation, by his Special Adviser on Legislative and Plenary, Prince Efe Duku.

According to Omo-Agege, there was need for positive responsibilities of both ECOWAS and the European Union towards improving citizens’ lives and for government to be pro-active to ensure citizens’ safety.

He added, “There are however areas the parliament needs to take a closer and firmer look at; paramount is the issue of intra-regional, as well as intra-national security of member states.

“For example, there needs to be a harmony between the central economic integration tenet of free movement of persons as guaranteed by Protocol A/P.1/5/79, and the rights of individual member nations to protect their interests where internal security is threatened as guaranteed in Article 10 of the ECOWAS Protocol on movement of persons which frowns at the presence of persons from another/other member countries prejudicing the rules and regulations of host countries.

“Together with other relevant Articles of the Protocol, it guarantees the right of such host countries to take measures to redress such anomalies.

“A good example is the current conversation on Nigeria’s action, consistent with the provisions of Article 10 and its sovereign right, of temporarily closing her land borders in response to serious irregularities attending the movement of goods and persons across our borders.

“We can recall that the ECOWAS Parliament in a recent resolution called on Nigeria to reopen these borders.

“Whilst we prefer to build bridges of regional integration, we agree with the government of His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari that all member states have a bounden duty to comply fully with the letters and spirit of the Revised Protocol.

“That way, national and regional economies and the high aim of regional integration would be safe rather than unduly threatened by the action of member states who breach the protocol.”