Nigeria considering further import bans, minister says

The Nigerian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, has said that the federal government is considering banning the importation of more items which are produced, or have the potential to be produced, in Nigeria. 

“Any commodity Nigeria has the potential of producing or we are currently producing will be banned from being imported”, the minister said. He explained that this was in order to preserve the country’s foreign exchange and ensure national development. 

The country already has strong restrictions on the import of many foodstuffs, including rice and poultry, and the government has closed land borders to ensure this ban, as well as put a stop to smuggling. 

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, Mr Nanono explained that this border shutdown was not in breach of the free trade agreement currently in place in West Africa. 

“Free trade does not mean Nigeria has to be a dumping ground for everything imported by others. These products are not even from all these countries involved. So, why should they be feasting on us?”. 

Mr Nanono also expressed concerns over the influx of migrants from other west African countries to Nigeria, taking advantage of the country’s relative economic prosperity. He explained that "This situation creates a problem, and the border closure is a measure that has gone a long way in solving the problem”. 

The minister affirmed his country’s commitment to free trade agreements, but lamented that other west African nations were not doing their bit. He alleged that other countries were allowing cheap imports to flood into their countries and consequently into Nigeria, by virtue of free trade arrangements. 

"Nigeria became a dumping ground for all kinds of imports, especially rice, which used to come from these neighbouring countries”, he said. 

Photo credit: Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, Nigeria (Twitter)