The federal government has promised to check bottlenecks and enhance operations at the country’s borders in order to improve trade relations with members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The Minister of State for Transportation, Prince Ademola Adegoroye, made the promise on Friday when he performed the official inauguration of some new facilities at the Seme – Krake Joint Border Post in Lagos executed by the Federal Ministry of Transportation.

The Minister said the new facilities at the Seme – Krake border, which has remained a symbol of integration that brings together the people of Nigeria and Republic of Benin, are aimed at enhancing free movement of persons and goods in the region as the busiest boundary lines not only in West Africa but the whole continent.

“This Joint Border Post with modern enabling facilities is a flagship project in ECOWAS and a good example of regional public assets with a spill-over range of benefits.

“However, the Federal Government of Nigeria in its continuous efforts and commitment to providing the facilities needed for conducive working environment and to boost the economic integration of our member States in West Africa and as part of the social responsibility in the management of the Joint Border Post between Nigeria and Republic of Benin is providing additional facilities which our Ministry executed on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria”, he said.

Prince Adegoroye added that these projects, worth over N300million, will provide a more conducive environment and enhance the work performance of the Joint Management Team at the border.

Responding to the concerns expressed by some of the stakeholders at the event, the Minister promised to make recommendations that will improve operations and check bottlenecks at the border to the Federal Executive Council.

In their goodwill messages, the Chairman of the Joint Border Management, Comptroller Da Nnadi and the Minister of Finance and Economy of the Republic of Benin, Mr. Romauld Wadagni, commended the federal government for the efforts to upgrade the facilities at the border post.

Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan
Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Minister of State for Transportation
February 10, 2023